Linguistic imperialism & its ramifications on African education & development.
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| Title: | Linguistic imperialism & its ramifications on African education & development. |
|---|---|
| Authors: | Simuziya, Nsama Jonathan1 (AUTHOR) nsamas2000@yahoo.com |
| Source: | Discover Education. 4/26/2026, Vol. 5 Issue 1, p1-26. 26p. |
| Subject Terms: | *Language policy, *Dominant language, *Educational planning, *Native language, Postcolonialism, Colonization, Africans |
| Geographic Terms: | Africa |
| Abstract: | This study examines how dominant foreign languages have become an instrument of cultural and educational colonization. In Africa, the continued use of colonial languages, notably English and French, as compulsory official languages of government business is a peculiar situation given that in the majority of African states, less than 50% of the affected populations are fluent in them (both in spoken and written forms) (Altezza Travel News, Top 10 English speaking countries in Africa, 2026). This means that half of the population is already disenfranchised directly or indirectly. The United Nations (Sustainable development goals, 2015) Sustainable Development Goals (Goal number 4) (SDG) calls for inclusive and equitable quality education for all. But under the prevailing language policy in most African schools, inclusive education cannot be attained when 50% of the population is already, by default, disenfranchised. Suppose Africa is serious about promoting its cultural heritage and sovereignty: in that case, it must first focus on decolonising its educational system, which is clustered with nuances of foreign cultures that do not speak to local needs. Far from being a vehicle for transformation, education in Africa has produced dismal results. School curricula framed in colonial languages keep reproducing an inferior African mindset that privileges monolingual teaching and learning using foreign languages. These educational systems have fostered the emergence of a postcolonial class divide in which only a privileged few can access quality education. Thus, Africa's growth will continue to be unsustainable without properly addressing this foreign language trap and appreciating how it has disempowered locals. Some may argue that Africa is, after all, already developing despite those language deficiencies, especially given that modernization has brought a variety of technological advancements in commerce and trade, mobility, finance, medicine, and agriculture. However, the counterargument is that such acclaimed development has not trickled down to the ordinary subaltern citizen whose welfare the globalization agenda purports to be uplifting. Technological advancements have entrenched marginalization levels of subaltern populations, hence have come at their expense. As Julius Nyerere argued, development that is not tailored towards the needs of local people is irrelevant to them, and may only be of interest to historians in the year 3000 (Nyerere J, Freedom and development. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1974). Further, the continued use of foreign languages as official tongues is counterproductive as it defeats the aims embedded in the African Renaissance project, which envisions promoting African cultural heritages and economic growth using home-grown solutions. In integrating the analysis of cultural and economic dimensions of language policy, this study uses a postcolonial frame as an avenue that efficaciously links the anatomy of foreign language use with cultural colonization. The study recommends a policy change that elevates indigenous languages as official languages so that the use of foreign tongues becomes optional, rather than compulsory. Data for this study were gathered and synthesized through content analysis of literature on language and decoloniality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Discover Education is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Education Research Complete |
| FullText | Text: Availability: 0 |
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| Header | DbId: ehh DbLabel: Education Research Complete An: 193628941 AccessLevel: 6 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: Linguistic imperialism & its ramifications on African education & development. – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Simuziya%2C+Nsama+Jonathan%22">Simuziya, Nsama Jonathan</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> nsamas2000@yahoo.com</i> – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Discover+Education%22">Discover Education</searchLink>. 4/26/2026, Vol. 5 Issue 1, p1-26. 26p. – Name: Subject Label: Subject Terms Group: Su Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Language+policy%22">Language policy</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Dominant+language%22">Dominant language</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Educational+planning%22">Educational planning</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Native+language%22">Native language</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Postcolonialism%22">Postcolonialism</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Colonization%22">Colonization</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Africans%22">Africans</searchLink> – Name: SubjectGeographic Label: Geographic Terms Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Africa%22">Africa</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: This study examines how dominant foreign languages have become an instrument of cultural and educational colonization. In Africa, the continued use of colonial languages, notably English and French, as compulsory official languages of government business is a peculiar situation given that in the majority of African states, less than 50% of the affected populations are fluent in them (both in spoken and written forms) (Altezza Travel News, Top 10 English speaking countries in Africa, 2026). This means that half of the population is already disenfranchised directly or indirectly. The United Nations (Sustainable development goals, 2015) Sustainable Development Goals (Goal number 4) (SDG) calls for inclusive and equitable quality education for all. But under the prevailing language policy in most African schools, inclusive education cannot be attained when 50% of the population is already, by default, disenfranchised. Suppose Africa is serious about promoting its cultural heritage and sovereignty: in that case, it must first focus on decolonising its educational system, which is clustered with nuances of foreign cultures that do not speak to local needs. Far from being a vehicle for transformation, education in Africa has produced dismal results. School curricula framed in colonial languages keep reproducing an inferior African mindset that privileges monolingual teaching and learning using foreign languages. These educational systems have fostered the emergence of a postcolonial class divide in which only a privileged few can access quality education. Thus, Africa's growth will continue to be unsustainable without properly addressing this foreign language trap and appreciating how it has disempowered locals. Some may argue that Africa is, after all, already developing despite those language deficiencies, especially given that modernization has brought a variety of technological advancements in commerce and trade, mobility, finance, medicine, and agriculture. However, the counterargument is that such acclaimed development has not trickled down to the ordinary subaltern citizen whose welfare the globalization agenda purports to be uplifting. Technological advancements have entrenched marginalization levels of subaltern populations, hence have come at their expense. As Julius Nyerere argued, development that is not tailored towards the needs of local people is irrelevant to them, and may only be of interest to historians in the year 3000 (Nyerere J, Freedom and development. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1974). Further, the continued use of foreign languages as official tongues is counterproductive as it defeats the aims embedded in the African Renaissance project, which envisions promoting African cultural heritages and economic growth using home-grown solutions. In integrating the analysis of cultural and economic dimensions of language policy, this study uses a postcolonial frame as an avenue that efficaciously links the anatomy of foreign language use with cultural colonization. The study recommends a policy change that elevates indigenous languages as official languages so that the use of foreign tongues becomes optional, rather than compulsory. Data for this study were gathered and synthesized through content analysis of literature on language and decoloniality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] – Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright Label: Group: Ab Data: <i>Copyright of Discover Education is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) |
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| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.1007/s44217-026-01496-9 Languages: – Code: eng Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 26 StartPage: 1 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Language policy Type: general – SubjectFull: Dominant language Type: general – SubjectFull: Educational planning Type: general – SubjectFull: Native language Type: general – SubjectFull: Postcolonialism Type: general – SubjectFull: Colonization Type: general – SubjectFull: Africans Type: general – SubjectFull: Africa Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Linguistic imperialism & its ramifications on African education & development. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Simuziya, Nsama Jonathan IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 26 M: 04 Text: 4/26/2026 Type: published Y: 2026 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 27315525 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 5 – Type: issue Value: 1 Titles: – TitleFull: Discover Education Type: main |
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