Teaching and Learning English in Tanzania: Blessing or Curse? A Practical Review of Phan le Ha’s Teaching English as an International Language

Abstract

This paper is inspired by the work of Phan Le Ha (2008) in her book titled Teaching English as an International Language: Identity, Resistance, and Negotiation in which she presented the way English language is taught in Vietnam and the emergence of conflicting classes of western - trained Vietnamese teachers of English versus non western trained teachers, also the class of native versus non native teachers. Based on different schools of thought, this paper attempts to compare and contrast learning English in Vietnam and Tanzania. The paper discusses some classroom practices in Tanzania secondary schools focusing on the use of English language as a medium of instruction and came up with the conclusion that it is still an uphill task for the Tanzania learners to achieve learning objectives through the use of English language. The title of this paper is influenced by Rubagumya’s work in (2010).  as he concluded by asking whether English as it is taught and learnt at present is a blessing or a curse for African learners. Therefore, this paper seeks to answer this puzzle based on Tanzanian context.

Keywords: Foreign Language, Ethnic Community Languages (ECLs), Lingua Franca.