In many Southern countries, there are multiple and conflicting perspectives regarding the central role of language, particularly in relation to educational and developmental issues. A great number of multilingual, multicultural and multi-ethnic Southern countries are using "English" or some other dominant tongue as their only "official", and/or "national" language. Can English function as "the national tongue" of once-colonised nations? What would be some educational, psychological, and developmental ramifications of monolingualism for multilingual societies? This paper will explore these and other language-related issues with some concrete examples from the Ghanaian, Iranian, and other cases. An interrogation of the dominant status of English in Ghana will shed light on notions of "linguistic neutrality", "socio-cognitive development", and "educational attainment" of students in the light of the neglect of indigenous Ghanaian languages. In similar vein, an examination of the dominant role of Farsi in Iran will highlight the role of language as an instrument of power, oppression, domination and assimilation. It will also show the complicity of the education system in both the maintenance and reproduction of hegemonic systems. (Contains 2 tables.)