COMMENTARY | The recent call by Alliance Française Kampala to introduce French as a subject in Ugandan primary schools is not only welcome—it is long overdue. For decades, Uganda’s education system has treated foreign languages like distant, optional luxuries, reserved for the academically elite or linguistically curious at secondary and university levels.
This must change.
Learning any language is easiest when begun early, ideally in childhood. Research has long established that younger learners grasp new languages faster and more naturally. Their brains are more elastic, and they acquire pronunciation and fluency with less effort. Delaying the introduction of languages like French until secondary school squanders a critical developmental window.
This is why the push to integrate French into primary school curricula is strategic. It aligns with what forward-thinking education systems around the world have already adopted. Early language education cultivates not just linguistic ability but cognitive flexibility, cultural empathy, and greater academic achievement across subjects. These are advantages Ugandan children deserve.
French, specifically, offers practical global benefits. It is spoken on five continents by over 300 million people and is the official or working language of international organisations including the United Nations, the African Union, the International Red Cross, and numerous multinational corporations.
In East and Central Africa—Uganda’s immediate neighbourhood—French dominates in Rwanda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and beyond. Uganda’s youth cannot afford to be shut out of this linguistic and economic bloc.
Karim Cwinya’ay, coordinator at Alliance Française Kampala, is right to argue that French should be more than a subject for passing exams.
“French is a professional skill with high demand in international institutions,” he said during a visit to St. Henry’s College Kitovu.
The truth is that job markets, particularly in diplomacy, humanitarian aid, aviation, and international business, increasingly demand multilingual proficiency—especially in widely spoken global languages.
Currently, French is taught in only a fraction of Uganda’s secondary schools. It is virtually absent at the primary level, a glaring omission that undermines learners' capacity to acquire proficiency in time to make it meaningful.
By the time they encounter French in Senior One or Two, students are overwhelmed with exam pressure and syllabus content, reducing the language to rote memorisation rather than real-world mastery.
This situation is even more discouraging at university level, where only a handful pursue degrees in French. Many do so with limited grounding from secondary school. Worse still, some secondary schools have dropped French altogether, citing logistical challenges or curriculum overload.
Uganda risks creating a generation with neither deep local roots nor the global agility multilingualism offers.
That said, the push for French cannot be allowed to undermine efforts to revive and sustain Uganda’s indigenous languages. This is a legitimate concern. Today, many Ugandan children—especially urban dwellers—struggle to greet elders in their mother tongues.
Luganda, Runyakitara, Ateso, Lumasaba, and other local languages are losing ground in homes and schools alike, often replaced by English or hybridised urban slang.
This trend is troubling. Language is identity. It carries culture, wisdom, and belonging. Uganda’s National Language Policy and the 2014 White Paper on Education both advocate for the use of local languages in early childhood education. Yet implementation remains patchy, and English remains dominant, particularly in private and urban schools.
The introduction of French must therefore be part of a broader, balanced linguistic policy. One that protects and promotes indigenous languages while also preparing Ugandans for global citizenship. These aims are not mutually exclusive. In fact, multilingualism strengthens cultural identity. Countries like Rwanda and Senegal teach French alongside indigenous languages with great success.
Uganda can do the same.
It’s also a question of equity. As it stands, access to French is mostly limited to high-performing or elite schools. By introducing it at primary level—and rolling it out nationwide—we can begin to democratise language learning.
Girls and boys in public schools, rural or urban, deserve the same global tools as those in top private institutions. As Sr. Betty Namwazi of St. Theresa Girls Secondary School Bwanda rightly noted, “Learning French gives our girls a competitive edge.” That edge must not be the privilege of a few.
Of course, this policy shift will require investment—in teacher training, teaching materials, and curriculum reform. But the benefits far outweigh the costs. A modest pilot in selected primary schools, supported by stakeholders like Alliance Française, would be a powerful start. Scaling can follow based on evidence, demand, and strategic planning.
Let us remember: Uganda is a young country. Its future lies in the hands of a globally competent, culturally grounded, and linguistically versatile generation. English alone will not get us there. Nor will nostalgia for a monolingual past.
The time for action is now. Let’s teach French in primary schools. Let’s teach indigenous languages with pride. And let’s give our children the full spectrum of expression they need to thrive in a complex, interconnected world.