English as a Language of Teaching and Learning for Community Secondary Schools in Tanzania: A Critical Analysis

This book examines the challenges posed by English a foreign language as a language of teaching and learning for community secondary schools in Tanzania in terms of academic performance. The book probes the necessity for having two languages of instruction in the Tanzanian educational system. While Kiswahili the native language is predominantly understood by the majority of people the discussion in this book indicates that most students in community secondary schools in Tanzania are incompetent in understanding writing listening reading and speaking English a language they use in learning and doing their examinations especially in the early stages of their secondary studies. The incompetence in the above-mentioned skills is mostly caused by their inability to cope with the abrupt transition in the languages of instruction from their pre-primary and primary school study [Kiswahili] to secondary school study [English]. Moreover most teachers are unable to use the English language as a means to impart knowledge or facilitate learning to their students leading them to code-switching and code-mixing. This book poses a challenge to countries whose students pass through a transition from one language of instruction to another in their educational systems helping them to make appropriate decisions in regard to the appropriate language of teaching and learning. This book is succinctly sequential to earlier research done on the question of the language medium of instruction in Tanzania and elsewhere in Africa. . . . The book is a must read for educationalists regarding the delivery of knowledge in Africa and elsewhere where the language question continues to affect and haunt the teaching and learning process bound to the shackles of the use of former colonial languages as a means of instruction. --F. E. M. K. Senkoro University of Namibia It is correctly argued that the low proficiency of the English language among students and teachers is responsible for poor performance in secondary school examinations. The government and stakeholders must take heed of the research findings and recommendations in this book since English will continue to be used as a teaching and learning language in schools in the country for a long time. The book is strongly recommended to policymakers students teachers and parents in Tanzania. --Uswege M. Minga Tumaini University Dar es Salaam College Dar es Salaam Tanzania Elia Shabani Mligo is Senior Lecturer at Tumaini University Makumira Mbeya Teaching Center in Tanzania. Some of his books include Jesus and the Stigmatized (2011) Writing Academic Papers (2012) Doing Effective Fieldwork (2013) Elements of African Traditional Religion (2013) Symbolic Interactionism in the Gospel According to John (2014) He Descended into Hell (2015) Introduction to Research Methods and Report Writing (2016) and Writing Effective Course Assignments (2017). Mikael Kaombeka Mwashilindi is Assistant Lecturer at Tumaini University Makumira Mbeya Centre in Tanzania.