Tanzania "O" level English language syllabus: need for re-design

The dissertation is about Syllabus Design for Tanzanian Secondary Schools, a second language situation. It is important to emphasize the need for syllabus re-design for effective learning because as the students gradually learn/aquire the system both for its own sake and for communication, they use the same as a medium through which they also learn and form concepts in their other content subjects. The failure have an efficient language teaching/learning system results in a defective multiplier effect into other curricula. The importance of English to Tanzania can only be seen through this perspective. The chapters in the dissertation whether describing situations, evaluating sections of the old syllabus, making propositions, have in the background, the tremendous use that English has to the education system, and even more important, to learning. It is understood from psychology that it is not very easy to differentiate between language and thought. The first chapter is about the language context, giving the position of language in the country especially before the better defined statements made recently. In chapter II, a discussion about a General English Syllabus highlights the fact that the varied, and numerous needs of the learners make it extremely difficult to design the syllabus; there are besides, the extra-linguistic constraints. Different syllabuses are also looked at, eg. Structural, notional, functional and process syllabuses. The Tanzanian ‘O’ Level English Syllabus is discussed in chapter III, and evaluated under the strengths and weaknesses of the types seen in chapter II. Some parts of TES are even to be omitted, as from the propositions. Realising the importance of grammar and communicative aspects of language learning chapter IV has given helpful reference models from which integrative approaches t designing may borrow. Lastly, the role of different institutions receives a mention in chapter V, realising that the Total language Teaching Operation involves many more institutions and people than just the syllabus designer and it is only though the joint co-operation of these parties that language teaching will be a success.