Language of Instruction Country Profile South Sudan

Of these, 59 are indigenous and 11 are non-indigenous. The most widely spoken languages include Dinka, Sudanese Creole Arabic, and Sudanese Spoken Arabic. Dinka, a macrolanguage, has over 1.35 million speakers and is comprised of five distinct dialects. Bari, a regional language, has 595,000 speakers, while Zande and Nuer have approximately 420,000 and 740,000 speakers, respectively. Following independence from the Republic of Sudan in 2011, South Sudan selected English as its official language. However, there are almost no people who speak English as their first language. Sudanese Creole Arabic, also known as 'Juba Arabic', is the unofficial lingua franca for communication in local government, trade, and in urban areas, with approximately 820,000 speakers. Sudanese Spoken Arabic is the de facto language of national identity, with approximately 460,000 speakers primarily in the northern regions of South Sudan. The official language of instruction policy in South Sudan stipulates that instruction for early childhood development and the lower primary grades (Grades 1-3) should occur in the local language. However, the policy also requires that the language of instruction shift to English beginning in Grade 4. The local language continues to be taught as a subject through Grade 8. Despite this policy, implementation has been challenging due to the country's linguistic diversity, human capital, and financial constraints. The South Sudanese education system is organized into three distinct levels: early childhood education, primary school, and secondary school. The Ministry of General Education and Instruction (MoGEI) has implemented policies to support the use of local languages in education, including the development of pre-service teacher training curricula for literacy. However, the use of local languages in instruction remains limited, with many schools reporting that they are implementing English or Arabic as the language of instruction in the early grades. The Expanded Graded Intergenerational Disruption Scale (EGIDS) categorizes languages into six levels of vitality, ranging from institutional to dying. According to EGIDS, 13 languages in South Sudan are institutional, 24 are developing, 15 are vigorous, 11 are in trouble, and six are dying. The linguistic diversity of South Sudan presents a significant challenge for education policymakers, who must balance the need to promote the use of local languages with the need to prepare students for a globalized economy. The General Education Strategic Plan (GESP) aims to improve the quality of education in South Sudan by promoting the use of local languages in instruction. The plan also seeks to increase access to education, particularly for girls and marginalized communities. However, the implementation of the GESP has been hindered by a lack of resources and infrastructure, as well as ongoing conflict and instability in the country. The use of local languages in education has been shown to improve student outcomes, particularly in the early grades. Research has demonstrated that students who are taught in their local language tend to perform better in reading and mathematics than students who are taught in a foreign language. However, the use of local languages in education also presents challenges, including the need to develop curricula and instructional materials in local languages. In conclusion, South Sudan's linguistic landscape presents a complex challenge for education policymakers. The country's high degree of linguistic diversity requires policymakers to balance the need to promote the use of local languages with the need to prepare students for a globalized economy. The official language of instruction policy stipulates that instruction should occur in the local language in the early grades, but implementation has been limited due to human capital and financial constraints.