English Language as a Medium of Instruction and Its Effect on the Quality of Education in South Sudan. Case Study: Secondary Schools in Juba County

Abstract

This study explored the topic, English language as a medium of instruction and its effects on the Quality of Education in South Sudan. Case study: Secondary Schools in Juba County. The main objective of the study was to establish the effect of English language as a medium of instruction on the quality of education in South Sudan at the secondary school level.

The researcher used a sample of 30 participants comprising of students, teachers and education officials selected by use of simple random sampling and purposive sampling techniques as well as convenience sampling technique to obtain the study area.

Using three methods of data collection: questionnaires, interviews and observation, the researcher administered the questionnaires and interview schedules as the main instruments of data collection to gather data on the use of English language as medium of instruction and its effect on the quality of education in South Sudan.

The study eventually found out that despite the shift in the medium of instruction, there is still persistent use of Arabic language in the schools and this hampers students’ interactions in English which is the officially recognised medium of instruction. It further found out that there is lack of adequate support from government in terms of provision of resources to support the schools in using English as a medium of instruction and this affects the students’ abilities to acquire knowledge and skills using English language. The study found out that there are numerous challenges schools face in disseminating knowledge and skills using the medium of instruction such as the Arabic background of the students and teachers as well as lack of adequate teaching materials to support the use of English as a medium of instruction in secondary schools. The study further revealed that despite the challenges, secondary schools have adopted strategies to resolve the current situation in order to improve the quality of education by ensuring that there is compulsory use of English language in the schools and seeking support from the government in terms of teaching and learning resources.

Because of all these, this study has concluded that English as a medium of instruction affects the teacher-student interaction and vice versa which eventually affects the quality of education as students are unable to fully comprehend what the teachers are teaching and become passive recipients of knowledge which they cannot apply. The study further concluded there are numerous challenges which should be addressed in order to improve the quality of education in secondary schools in South Sudan.

Basing on the findings and conclusion, the researcher has recommended that government should step up and invest in developing the teachers’ skills through provision of training to all the teachers from the Arabic background as well as other teachers who might not have had any formal training in teaching using English and provide adequate resources to the secondary schools to enable them to deliver effectively using English as a medium of instruction in order to improve the quality of education at secondary school level in South Sudan.

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