This paper highlights the challenges of current
language policies in education in Africa, with reference to
Uganda. Also examined are the likely challenges to language
policy in education, while indicating how these challenges
can be curtailed or overcome. The authors suggest a different
view is required when approaching this topic with a
paradigm shift from modernist theories imbued with colonial
and neo-colonial approaches experienced by African
countries over decades. The use of a more post-modernist
critical theory is required to envisage democracy, linguistic
justice, linguistic human rights, linguistic citizenship,
diversity and sustainability for quality education and
development. The execution of outdated language policies in
education that are often misguided and do not reflect reality
continually cost individual learners and their societies. This
is evidenced by the trend of education output and research by
scholars worldwide on literacy and educational achievement
in Africa. Many African governments are tending towards
local/arterial languages in educational policy and are
supportive of inclusion of African languages in education;
however the trend in literacy and educational attainment is
stagnant with outcomes becoming worse. By advocating for
a much wider collective approach, research based on these
very communities by African researchers working with and
in the communities can aid an improved outcome in the
African settings. The approach advocates language policies
in education to shift from borrowing colonial policies to
pragmatic policies which are emancipatory and liberative
with learner centred approaches to teaching and learning.