Language in education policy and literacy acquisition in multilingual Uganda: a case study of the urban district of Kampala interview guide for library staff.

Abstract

This research thesis, “Language in Education Policy and Literacy Acquisition in Multilingual Uganda”, sought to understand how a monoglot policy is implemented in a multilingual setting within the urban district of Kampala. A case study approach to understanding current practices was undertaken. The views of stakeholders towards the implementation of the language policy on the use of English as the medium of instruction (MoI) were investigated. For this study the language in education policy referred to is the one in the 1992 Uganda Government White Paper on Education. The focus of this study is on the use of English only as the MoI from Primary one throughout the primary school cycle in urban areas in Uganda. This chapter gives a full background to the current study on language in education policy and literacy acquisition in multilingual Uganda with the urban district of Kampala as the case study. Specifically the chapter gives a description of the research site, the history of educational language policies in Uganda, the primary school curriculum and the education system in Uganda. The other key issues worked out in the chapter are: the research problem, purpose, objectives, research questions, assumptions, limitations, scope, significance, justification, definition of terms and lastly the outline of the other chapters.