Zambia, like many African countries, has been grappling with which language to use in Zambian education without stirring tribal sentiments. Even the country’s name—Zambia is popularly accepted to have been named after the Zambezi River but some scholars claim Zambia means “land of God” from the Lunda language.
Currently, 7 out of the 73 local languages have official status: Bemba, Nyanja, Lozi, Tonga, Kaonde, Luvale, and Lunda. The 2010 census records in Zambia revealed that Zambia’s most widely spoken languages are Bemba (spoken by 35% of the population), Nyanja or Chewa (20%), Tonga (12%), and Lozi (6%).
What is the school of thought when it comes to languages in Zambian schools?
There are two of them. The first argument is that English must be used as a medium of instruction in Zambian schools due to its neutrality, universality, and international status. The second school of thought also argues that local languages must be used as a medium of instruction. However, even in the second school of thought, there is a debate on which languages to use as there are about 73 local languages.
When Hakainde Hichilema (HH) was inaugurated into office as a Zambian President on 24 August 2021, Tonga language was used in some parts of the ceremony to reflect the mother tongue of the new president. This act did not sit well with many Zambians.
An influential figure in Zambia, Sean Tembo of PeP described the use of Tonga in the ceremony as tribalistic and stated that “the official language of Zambia is English and the two national languages are Nyanja and Bemba. This is a well-established fact that cannot be easily changed. If President HH tries to use the opportunity of his having been elected president to try and impose a third national language on the people, he might be met with resistance and it might lead to his eventual downfall within a short period of time.”
On the other hand, there are others who were impressed with the President’s commitment to integrate local languages in his inauguration and further called on him to consider the full usage of local languages in the education system. Others also suggested to the new president to consider making sign language compulsory in Zambian schools.
What has been the country’s stance on local languages in the past?
According to a study on the Language Strategy in the Zambian Educational System, after independence, English was officially adopted by the new Government of the Republic of Zambia, through the 1966 Education Act, as the medium of instruction, right from grade 1 till the end of tertiary education.
In 1992, an attempt was made to reverse the language strategy. The Government of the Republic of Zambia published a new document on Educational Reforms, namely, “Focus on Learning”. This document supported arguments in favour of Zambian languages. Even though this document was formally adopted by the Cabinet in 1992, no attempt was ever made to implement the proposed language strategy.
Then in 1997, the Government published a new curriculum for the entire school system in Zambia. This document recommended that local languages be compulsory from grade 1 to grade 9 and optional in High School. However, the recommendations were not implemented.
Also, the Zambia Education Curriculum Framework in 2013 recognises the use of familiar Zambian languages as the official languages of instruction in the Pre-Schools and early Grades (Grades 1–4). This categorises Zambia into 7 language zones: Cinyanja, Chitonga, Icibemba, Kiikaonde, Lunda, Luvale, and Silozi as well as the widely used community languages in specific school catchment areas. Per the Framework, English is supposed to be offered as a subject, beginning at Grade 2, and will still remain the official medium of instruction beginning at Grade 5 up to tertiary education.
Local languages in schools, especially at the primary level improve learning and in Zambia, there are consistent efforts. Recent reports indicate how local authorities have reintroduced Luvale, one of the local languages, back into the school system at the Chavuma District located in Zambia’s Northwestern Province. Parents and grandparents are enthusiastic because they believe it will strengthen the links between generations.
