Why is the choice of the language of instruction in which students learn best seldom made? A closer look at results from LOITASA project in Tanzania
The objective of this project is to examine how children in African societies can be taught in ways that provide the highest quality learning environment. The study will examine why mother tongue education is not used in schools in Africa when study after study shows that this creates the best learning environment. Language is the tool which makes learning possible. Why is the choice of the language of instruction in which learner could learn best seldom made in Tanzania? Further, the study will examine how language and other aspects of quality learning are treated across the public/private educational divide. Education through schooling is a right; however, many poor and marginalized children in Africa do not have access to school. In what ways does the trend towards private schooling in Africa affect the rights of poor and marginalized children to schooling and quality learning? Why are dropout rates high in public school and is this related to poor pedagogical support? The project will examine the ways in which financial support and pedagogical support in public and private schools affect learning in Africa. I will set my fieldwork in Tanzania and focus on one private and one public school to see how and why private schooling is growing and how and why they use English in private schools and Kiswahili in public schools? What are the advantages and disadvantages of these choices and what are the consequences for poor children? Another focus of the study will be on the private schooling issue. The increase in private schooling disfavors the poor and limits their educational choices. What is the trend in education in Tanzania towards private education and how are poor children fairing?