In 2014, UNICEF commissioned a review of language policy and education quality in the 21 countries of UNICEF's Eastern and Southern Africa Region. This paper examines findings from the review, related to the role of English and local languages in current education practice in the region. National language policies and implementation practices are examined, as is the mismatch between the two. The evident widespread use of English as the language of instruction in primary classrooms of Eastern and Southern Africa, even where the pupils do not speak English, generates two central questions: (1) Is English really the villain in this context?; and (2) Why do teachers and pupils in these classrooms have to choose one language or another as medium of instruction?