Kenya's classroom dilemma: students say mother tongue boosts learning, but English still dominates

Across Kenya, students and graduates report that learning in their mother tongue significantly improves comprehension and confidence, yet English remains the dominant language of instruction from grade 4 onwards despite policy provision for mother-tongue teaching in early primary years. UNESCO's Global Education Monitoring reports estimate that about 40 percent of learners worldwide are not taught in a language they understand well, rising to about 90 percent in some low- and middle-income countries. Kenya's situation reflects a broader pattern across Africa, where colonial-era languages — English, French, or Portuguese — persist in classrooms even when children grow up speaking entirely different languages at home.