Abstract

This article identifies and discusses why siSwati – most citizens of Eswatini’s first language – is seen by various educational stakeholders as the second choice when it comes to the medium of instruction in the officially bilingual siSwati-English Kingdom of Eswatini. Findings reveal that while excerpts from policy documents suggest good intentions for promoting first language instruction for positive outcomes in the learners’ acquisition and use of the second language, classroom practices point to a zero to medium implementation of the 2011 and 2018 education sector language-ineducation policies. Teachers believe that siSwati has no symbolic value, stifles learners’ social growth and does not assist them in their educational advancement. This study concludes that framing siSwati as a scholarly endeavour in academic discourse in Eswatini perpetuates a conflict of ideologies between teachers and learners.

摘要

本文指出并讨论了为什么斯威士兰语（大多数斯威士兰语的第一语言公民）被各种教育利益相关者视为斯威士兰官方双语斯威士兰-英语王国的第二选择教学语言。调查结果显示，虽然政策文件的摘录表明促进第一语言教学的良好意图，以促进学习者习得和使用第二语言的积极成果，但课堂实践表明 2011 年和 2018 年教育部门语言教育的实施为零到中等水平政策。教师们认为 siSwati 没有象征价值，会抑制学习者的社会成长，并且不会帮助他们取得教育进步。