Institutionalising Chinese language teaching in African schools: The case of Uganda

While existing research on Chinese language teaching (CLT) in Africa has largely focused on Confucius Institutes (CIs) and their role in higher education, limited attention has been paid to the growing presence of CLT at the pre-tertiary education level. This empirical study, adopting a Foucauldian perspective and using Uganda as a case study, investigates the institutionalisation of CLT in African schools. It first examines the institutional structure supporting CLT, then analyses the strategies that have facilitated its institutionalisation, and finally assesses the effects produced by this process. Findings reveal the emergence of an institutional structure built on three key pillars: local CLT human resources, Chinese language syllabuses, and examinations. Within this framework, institutionalising strategies such as political support, local teacher training programmes, CLT-related activities and competitions, and the provision of opportunities and incentives have been employed. The effects include 100 Ugandan secondary schools offering Chinese courses, with hundreds of students having taken the O-Level Chinese exams. However, there are certain forms of resistance, such as public scepticism, as well as challenges related to teacher retention, teacher quality, and shortages of teaching materials. Although CLT has secured an initial foothold in Ugandan schools, its overall reach remains limited.