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

2.4 
Educational context 
Planning for language use in education must also take into consideration certain characteristics 
of the education system in relation to what is needed to e
ffectively 
implement a particular 
strategy. Key requirements for successful instruction, no matter what language is used, are 
described below. These factors must be considered in the process of identifying which and how 
to use different languages for instruction.
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Instructional time.
Instructional time must be available during the day to teach literacy 
and language skills to the level of proficiency required by the curriculum. The less time 
available for literacy instruction in L1/familiar languages, the more difficult it will be for 
children to acquire the proficiency level needed to facilitate L2/Lx acquisition and to 
learn subject matter. Research suggests that the more time available to learn to read, the 
better the outcomes. Experience and evidence indicates that in lower primary at least 90-
120 minutes a day should be dedicated to reading and writing instruction (Goldenberg, 

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19 
2011; Taylor, Raphael, & Au, 2011). Depending on the curriculum, this might be entirely 
in one language or split between two languages.
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Pupils will also require time and exposure to the L2 or Lx commensurate with the level of 
proficiency required (see 
Sectionabove for discussion of factors that influence how 
much time is needed to acquire proficiency in an L2/Lx). A country therefore needs to 
explore how much instructional time is currently available for teaching language and 
literacy (both L1 and additional languages), and identify whether this is sufficient for 
successful L1 acquisition and learning, as well as Lx learning if part of the curriculum. 
Of note: If the context requires that a large part of pupils’ day be spent trying to learn a 
new or unfamiliar language, little time will remain for learning academic content.
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