Language policy in Ghana and Malawi: differing approaches to multilingualism in education

Despite substantial international evidence that children learn best in a language which they understand, language-in-education policies much of Africa do not effectively accommodate the range languages found classroom, instead prescribing dominant national and/or colonial such as English. Further, these continue to reflect monoglossic conceptualisation and adequately account for multilingual repertoires individuals communities. They an understanding ways practices could be harnessed education. This article provides comparative overview policy context Malawi Ghana, at levels legislation, practice, attitudes. Through interviews, questionnaires, classroom observations, recordings primary schools, we highlight realities educational spaces each country. We that, despite different sociolinguistic legislative contexts, there are similarities between contexts emerge important factors when considering multilingualism within