Sunday, November 6, 2011

South Sudan to Use English for Education

The government of South Sudan has announced that the nation will use English as the primary language of instruction throughout its schools in an effort to make South Sudanese students more competitive from a global perspective. This move would effectively halt the use of Arabic as the primary language of instruction. Information Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin stated, “We will soon be teaching English for subjects like Mathematics and Science and Arabic and the same goes for all other subjects. Arabic will be taught only as a language subject." This move comes as part of the Higher and General Education Bill which was passed recently. Many in the fledgling nation hope that the use of English will serve as a unifying force in an area that is currently home to as many as 60 different spoken languages. It would also strengthen ties to other east African nations that similarly use English throughout their educational systems thereby creating opportunities for South Sudanese students to attend universities outside of the country.

By: Nick McGuire

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