EdData II: Data for Education Research and Programming (derp) in Africa

Language context and mapping.
Accurate data regarding which languages are spoken 
in which communities/schools, and at what level of proficiency, need to be gathered 
through linguistic mapping or family surveys in order to identify the appropriate 
languages to use for instruction and effective pedagogical approaches, as well as teacher 
placement strategies and training needs. 
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Orthography development and standardization.
An agreed-upon orthography should 
exist for all languages used in the classroom; it is preferable if that orthography is 
standardized, but its use in education will facilitate the process, so ongoing linguistic 
discussions should not prevent educational use of a language.
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Curriculum and materials.
Materials based on national curriculum 
standards/competencies should be developed in each language and for the relevant grade 

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levels and subjects; language teams and subject specialists can work together to create 
similar materials in different languages.
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Teachers’ language proficiency. 
Teachers should be highly proficient in the language(s) 
students speak and understand, as well as the languages in which instruction is provided. 
They are likely to need training in reading and writing their own languages, as well as in 
the pedagogical vocabulary they will need to teach academic content.
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Pre-service and in-service synchronization.
Collaboration among teacher trainers, 
teachers, and others is needed to ensure that pre-service and in-service programs, 
materials, and methods are aligned with languages used to provide instruction and 
strategies for teaching both L1 and L2/Lx. 
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Further research, monitoring, and evaluation. 
Any plan for language use in education 
should be assessed vis-à-vis student outcomes to identify what works and what may need 
to be modified, since a plan put in place today may need to be modified in a year or 
several years, based on learning outcomes. Additional research may be needed to 
ascertain context- and language-specific answers to inform changes in pedagogical 
approach. 
Bringing strong, relevant evidence from both research and practice to the discussion table is an 
important first step in increasing understanding of the need for language use planning. However, 
because LOI policies and practices are tightly bound to political, historical, and cultural 
considerations, these issues must also be addressed. To the extent that USAID and others can 
engage diverse stakeholders involved in the teaching and learning process, their engagement will 
help ensure that a plan will be feasible, accepted, implemented, and supported over the long 
term.
Developing and implementing an effective plan for language use in education is a long-term 
endeavor that can be accomplished with thoughtful planning to ensure alignment of all aspects of 
education provision. While many changes can take place in the short term, education planners, 
donors, and others who support them need to take a long-term view to language-use planning in 
order to be successful. The benefits of taking a long-term approach—increased education access, 
learning outcomes, cost-effectiveness, and overall equity and inclusion—outweigh the cost of 
maintaining the status quo. This investment in terms of time and resources is well worth the 
reward of quality education for all.