Optimizing Learning and Education in Africa – the Language Factor - A Stock-taking Research on Mother Tongue and Bilingual Education in Sub-Saharan Africa

The presentation is primarily based on a review of African experiences of bilingual education. This research is an integral part of the follow-up activities to the 2003 Biennale on improving the quality of education through the use of African languages as teaching languages. Drawing mainly on expert studies and independent evaluations, six academics analyzed learning outcomes in relation to models of bilingual education, along with the factors conducive to success or failure in the technical, financial, linguistic, political and social spheres. Experiences in the following countries were studied: Benin, Burkina Faso, Botswana, Cameroon, Chad, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Uganda, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo and Zambia.