Chinese language education policy in Congo-brazzaville: teachers’ perceptions on policy gaps, difficulties and future directions

With the advent of globalization, the presence of new technologies, and heightened competitiveness in employability, our societies have entered an era where proficiency in foreign languages beyond English is becoming increasingly vital. Formulating a language-in-education policy is necessary to address local instructional needs. However, much research in the language-in-education policy field has focused on English over other foreign languages, particularly Chinese, which lacks specific policies, creating obstacles to its instructional development in many countries. To fill these gaps, this study sought to examine, from teachers’ perspectives, how the absence of a specific policy affects Chinese instruction in terms of curriculum, personnel, materials, community, and evaluation in Congo-Brazzaville. It also investigated how teachers perceive the possibilities for the sustainable development of Chinese instruction locally. Through qualitative content analysis, the findings revealed that the lack of a specific policy led to inadequacies in Chinese instructional resources, including various difficulties related to teachers, pedagogical equipment, and the management of Chinese instruction. Despite these difficulties, teachers proposed relevant future directions for both macro- and micro-level policies. These findings have implications for diversifying research in language-in-education policy by extending the current emphasis on English to include other foreign languages – the Chinese language. They also offer evidence-based support for effectively and sustainably promoting Chinese language programs in African contexts.