Literacy acquisition and language of instruction in sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted in 2015 represent an important opportunity to improve learning globally. In this light, this chapter draws on a unique set of early literacy assessment results and demographic information from six African countries (Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Tanzania, and Zambia) to better understand the role that language plays in influencing early reading outcomes. While these data have been published in individual country reports, the information has not been analyzed and released prominently in the narrative surrounding learning outcomes in the region, although data like those presented in this chapter have begun to reverse this tendency. Following this introduction, a brief history is provided of postcolonial trends in literacy acquisition and language policyin sub-Saharan Africa from about 1960 to the present day, documenting the current language of instruction policies for twenty countries. Key questions are also outlined to drive the interest in gaining a better understanding of the variation in literacy acquisition in a selection of target countries for which we have data; then the chapter documents the data and methods usedas well as the results. Finally, the chapter discusses the implications of this work a for future policy and planning to achieve the promises made under the SDGs.