JUBA (Reuters) – South Sudan said on Wednesday its schools will start teaching English, phasing out Arabic that had been used as a tool to spread Islamic law and Arab heritage by former civil war foe Khartoum.
The mainly Muslim north imposed Islamic law and Arabic on the south, which seceded in July to become the world’s newest nation, and where most follow Christian and traditional beliefs.
The language move is symbolic of the nation’s vision of closer integration with African neighbors, said Samson Wattara, an associate professor in political science at Juba University.
“The switch will not be automatic and will probably be problematic but South Sudanese want to look southwards,” Wattara told Reuters.
“This is a departure from the arabisation doctrine which was consistently opposed by different rebellions,” he said.
South Sudan’s government passed a bill making English mandatory for teaching in primary and secondary schools, Information Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin told reporters.
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