Botswana is mulling introducing the Swahili language across its local schools.
This is according to a local official aware of the plan which will see Swahili inculcated into the curriculum of this Southern Africa country.
Fidelis Molao, Botswana’s Minister of Basic Education while speaking at a language teaching workshop in Francistown on Tuesday said the introduction of Swahili in Botswana’s schools is a future plan.
Should Botswana push through with this plan, it will be a major milestone for Swahili-speaking countries as the Bantu language infiltrates into the land of Diamond mining.
The Swahili language is spoken in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, parts of Malawi and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
According to the Minister for Education in Botswana, once this is rolled out, it will not only enable Botswana to trade with Swahili-speaking states but will also help the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
This will be a plus for Botswana whose main economic activity is pegged on mining of diamond.
Currently, SADC has English, French and Portuguese languages which it used for communication.