Kiswahili-medium and English-medium primary schools: Teacher views on key contrasts

Abstract

Ideally, Kiswahili-medium primary schools and English-medium primary schools should only differ in the languages that are used as the media of instruction. It is expected that when parents enrol their children for primary education, they should choose between Kiswahili-medium primary schools and English-medium primary schools only regarding the languages that are used as media of instruction and not other factors. However, the trend is different. This article examines the differences between Kiswahili-medium primary schools and English-medium primary schools to reveal the value Kiswahili-medium primary school teachers consider when enrolling their children in either Kiswahili-medium primary schools or English-medium primary schools. The study used a qualitative research approach. Purposive sampling was used to obtain the study sample; the sample size was 20 participants. Interviews were used to collect data. Twenty interview sessions with 20 Kiswahili-medium primary school teachers from Bukoba Municipality, Tanzania, were used to collect the study data. Kiswahili-medium primary schools and English-medium primary schools differed regarding school material resources, classroom sizes, commitment, remuneration, and parent and teacher cooperation. Although the medium of instruction used in teaching and learning activities in English-medium primary schools is unfamiliar to pupils and teachers, English-medium primary schools were better than Kiswahili-medium primary schools.