Policy without a plan: English as a medium of instruction in Rwanda

From the time of Belgian colonial rule, French was predominantly the medium of instruction (MOI) in Rwanda. Then, in October 2008, a Rwandan Cabinet resolution called for the immediate implementation of English as the language of instruction in all public schools at all levels – from primary to tertiary. This study reports on ethnographic interview data collected in a larger ethnography of language policy (Hornberger Johnson 2007, 2009, 2010a, 2010b) study undertaken in Rwanda between September 2011 and June 2012. The interviews, conducted with teachers (n = 8) in two public primary schools and two public secondary schools in Southern Province, Rwanda, reveal (a) the layers and spaces in Rwandan MOI policy and practice, as well as (b) the local realities associated with implementing national language-in-education policy without an articulated plan.