ABSTRACT
Political independence does not necessarily lead to educational or economic independence. Four decades after most sub-Saharan African countries gained their political independence from Western powers, the goal of formulating and implementing an effective language policy for education and other development sectors remains sadly unfulfilled. This situation persists despite research findings related to effective medium of instruction that indicate, in the case of Africa, the retention of colonial language policies in education contributes significantly to ineffective communication and lack of student participation in classroom activities. Moreover, it explains to a large extent the low academic achievement of African students at every level of the educational systems (Alidou, 1997; Bokamba, 1984).
