Language, Development Aid and Human Rights in Education ─ Curriculum Policies in Africa and Asia

With a Foreword by Martin Carnoy.
The debate about languages of instruction in Africa and Asia involves an analysis of both the historical thrust of national government and also development aid policies. Using case studies from Tanzania, Nigeria, South Africa, Rwanda, India, Bangladesh and Malaysia, Zehlia Babaci-Wilhite argues that the colonial legacy is perpetuated when global languages are promoted in education. The use of local languages in instruction not only offers an effective means to contextualize the curriculum and improve student comprehension, but also to achieve quality education and rights in education. Evidence that science literacy is better served through local languages and adapted to local contexts is put forward with a new vision for science learning that invests cutting edge technologies with local context. This vision is crucial to the African and Asian development on their own terms and should take its rightful place as a human right in education.

Zehlia Babaci-Wilhite is a Visiting Assistant Professor at the University of California-Berkeley, USA and Adjunct Professor at the University of San Francisco, USA. She has taught courses in the USA, Norway, Japan, India, France & Nigeria on issues related to language and culture, development & human rights. She has previously published Local Languages as a Human Right in Education and Giving Space to African Voices.