| The politics of globalization have played a significant role in shaping the current state of education around the world. One of the most important elements of the new global agenda involves the politics of language. In the case of the African continent and other developing nations worldwide, language policy has become one of the most contested factors linked to achieving the 'global imperative.' Language is particularly vital because of its purported necessity in the design of developmental initiatives leading to economic recovery. In other words, the question of language has become synonymous with the politics of modernity and progress in most developing nations. Although language is sometimes overlooked, and some may very well argue insignificant, language use within a particular nation is now perhaps the single most important factor in determining its opportunities to access external economic aid from donor institutions and industrialized countries of the West. Given this premise, this study examines language policy and the important role it plays within the classroom, as well as across the educational system. This research specifically examines education policies related to language in the education system of the East African nation of Tanzania. |
