Somalia is set to introduce Swahili, the prominent language of East Africa, into its national curriculum, as announced by the nation’s president. Currently, English serves as the primary language of instruction in secondary schools, with Arabic being the only other mandatory second language. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud revealed this plan during a summit in Mogadishu, the nation’s capital, emphasizing the importance of Swahili for regional economic growth and integration.
Somalia officially joined the East African Community, an eight-nation bloc, last year with the goal of enhancing economic development after years of civil war. Swahili, spoken by over 200 million people, is recognized as one of the world’s most widely spoken languages.
President Mohamud stated, “The country’s universities, especially the Somali National University, should focus more on developing the Swahili language, which is the language of East Africa.” He further added, “Adopting Swahili is important for our integration into the region.” The Minister of Education, Farah Sheikh Abdulkadir, echoed these sentiments, expressing the government’s significant ambitions for Swahili’s nationwide adoption, aiming for it to become a language of communication, trade, and learning.
Swahili dialects are already present along Somalia’s southern coast, and its usage has increased in recent years, partly due to the influx of Somali refugees who learned the language in neighboring Kenya. The ongoing presence of African Union troops, many of whom speak Swahili, has also contributed to the language’s growing influence.
Historically, Arabic was the language of instruction in Somalia’s junior schools, with English used at secondary and tertiary levels. However, the current primary school curriculum is taught in Somali, while higher education predominantly uses English, and Arabic remains the language for Islamic schools (madrassas).
More about Somalia from the BBC:
- The women at the centre of Somalia’s construction boom
- Somali piracy 2.0 – the BBC meets the new robbers of the high seas
- ‘Why I spent my university fees on Somali TikTok battles’