Uncovering language-in-education policy as a challenge to Tanzanian civic engagement

Abstract

Language has long been an important dimension of civil society in Tanzania, where English is the language of secondary and tertiary schooling, even as the majority of people use Swahili. Femina Hip is a non-governmental organization (NGO) active in Tanzania with its popular magazine Fema. Th is paper examines how a 2011 Fema article ignited lively discussion of Tanzanian language policy and planning among students on study abroad from Austria, China, and other countries, and their Tanzanian professor of Swahili language and literature. Th eir discussion critiques the Fema article, and explores the conundrum of Tanzania’s language-in-education policy through personal refl ection.