National Language and Book Policies

This page provides links to language and book policies in developing countries, and research on the impact of national book policies for content creators and publishers.

The Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KIDC) developed the Basic Education Curriculum Framework in 2016, with a vision to enable every Kenyan to become an engaged, empowered and ethical citizen. 

Author
Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD)
Publisher
Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD)

The language environment in the Eastern and Southern Region of Africa is rich and dynamic. Many African languages, including Amharic, Kirundi, Swahili, isiZulu, Kinyarwanda, Chichewa, Luganda, Kikuyu, Malagasy, Oromo, and Somali are spoken as mother tongues by millions of African citizens. Some may also serve as regional and national languages.

Author
Barbara Trudell
UNICEF
Publisher
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)

In 2017, the Department of Basic Education (DBE) said that 27% of public schools nationally are implementing the Incremental Introduction of African Languages (IIAL) in Grades 1 and 2 in 2017 despite challenges, which included an inadequate number of willing and competent teachers as well as negative attitudes and misconceptions about African languages being inferior in the global scheme.

Author
Department of Basic Education
Publisher
Department of Basic Education

The South African Department of Education prioritised (Early Childhood Development ECD) through the development and implementation of the White Paper 5 on Early Childhood Development (2001). The policy's aim is to phase in Grade R as part of the schooling system. 

Author
Department of Education

After Independence in March 1990, the then Ministry of Education, Youth, Culture and Sport began reviewing the language policy for schools. The agreed policy was issued in the document Education and Culture in Namibia: The Way Forward to 1996 in 1991.

The policy goals include:

Author
Ministry of Basic Education
Sport and Culture (MBESC)

The language policy of education in Ghana has had a checkered history since the colonial era. In May 2002, Ghana promulgated a law, which mandates the use of English language as the medium of instruction from primary one (grade one) to replace the use of a Ghanaian language as the medium of instruction for the first three years of schooling, and English as the medium of instruction from primary four (grade four).

Author
Charles Owu-Ewie

This presentation was created for the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) workshop in Nairobi on National Book and Reading Policies for Africa from 17th to 19th June 2019. The presentation addresses issues related to the cost of storybook creation and adaptation of storybooks. 

Author
Lisbeth Levey
Publisher
Neil Butcher & Associates

For many years, linguists, educators and other academics have been calling upon the government of Botswana to develop a language policy which will recognize and empower all the ethnic groups represented in the country.

Author
Lydia Nyati-Ramahobo