Kiswahili made compulsory subject in Ugandan schools
Uganda has adopted an East African Community (EAC) resolution to make Kiswahili an official language for the bloc alongside English.
The country’s Cabinet on Tuesday nodded to the implementation of the 21st EAC Summit directive and recommended that Kiswahili be made a compulsory subject in primary and secondary schools in the country.
During the 21st summit that was held in February last year virtually, the leaders agreed to adopt English, French, and Kiswahili as official languages of the community and directed the council to expedite the implementation modalities of the directive.
The 1995 Ugandan Constitution had provided the use of Kiswahili as the second official language, but it had not been implemented.
This comes as the language continues to gain popularity across the globe, with the United Nations designating July 7 as World Kiswahili language Day. The language is also among the official languages of the African Union (AU).
In Africa, Kiswahili is widely spoken in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), South Sudan, Somalia, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia and Comoros. The language is also spoken in Oman and Yemen.