On Monday, February 21, 2022 in Ouagadougou, the Réseau de l’Education de qualité par le bi-plurilinguisme (REB) in collaboration with the Ministère de l’Education Nationale, de l’Alphabétisation et de la Promotion des Langues Nationales (MENAPLN), through the Secrétariat Permanent de la Promotion des Langues Nationales et de l’Education à la Citoyenneté (SP/PLNEC) celebrated International Mother Language Day with the support of the Swiss Cooperation Office. The Réseau Education de qualité par le bi-plurilinguisme (REB), created by some twenty civil society organizations, aims to be a genuine and essential partner for the State and its partners in the promotion and enhancement of national languages, explained Dieudonné ZAONGO, Chairman of the REB Board of Directors and Country Representative of the NGO Solidar Suisse in Burkina Faso. The celebrationof the 23rd International Mother Language Day was chaired by Pr Kalifa TRAORE, Secretary General of MENAPLN, in charge of current affairs, and placed under the patronage of SEM Mélégué TRAORE, former Minister of Secondary, Higher Education and Scientific Research, who welcomed the initiative and offered advice on how to better valorize national languages in Burkina Faso.
A panel discussion on the main theme “ national languages for quality education” developed several themes during the day. ” The use of technology for multilingual learning, language and sustainable human development, and bi-plurilingualism as a factor in improving the quality of education . as a factor in improving the quality of education in Burkina Faso “were also discussed, to the delight of participants.
National languages as the basis for quality education
National languages for quality education: this was the theme of the day celebrated in Burkina Faso. In Burkina Faso, the official language is French, but it is important to know that there are fifty-nine (59) mother tongues, the most widely spoken of which are Mooré, Fulfulde and Dioula. These mother tongues give each community its cultural identity. Linguistic diversity and multilingualism are therefore essential for sustainable development.
For Madame Zalissa DJIBO, Permanent Secretary for the Promotion of National Languages and Citizenship Education, this day celebrates linguistic diversity and multilingualism as a factor enriching relations between people, and contributing to the education of young children. For her, a good command of a pupil’s first language facilitates the learning of the second.
All segments of the development of social, economic and cultural life in African countries in general, and Burkina Faso in particular, cannot do without the promotion of our national languages. In the same way, the relevance, effectiveness and supply of education cannot do without the use of national languages, emphasized the Chairman of the REB Board of Directors, Mr Dieudonné ZAONGO.
The godfather, Mélégué Maurice TRAORE, was quick to offer advice on how to better anchor and promote national languages in Burkina Faso. One of the most noteworthy proposals was to set up a think tank to carry out day-to-day reflections on national languages, in order to come up with ideas on how best to “save” our languages, especially those on the verge of extinction. In the name of safeguarding the mother tongues of minority language groups, resource persons from the community of Karangasso Vigué in the Hauts Bassins region were distinguished guests at this celebration. The Vigué language is one of Burkina Faso’s endangered minority languages.
The presentation on bi-plurilingualism as a factor in improving the quality of education particularly captured the attention of participants. Dr. Benoît OUOBA, founder of the Tin Tua Association, demonstrated in his talk that the rational use of national languages in the education system facilitates student learning and ensures quality teaching. The case of satellite schools is a fine illustration of the impact of local languages on education, according to Dr. OUOBA. According to an evaluation carried out in 1999, satellite schools obtained a much higher average score than traditional schools (5.7 versus 3.5),” he revealed.
Bi-plurilingualism under threat
Bilingual education faces enormous difficulties, including the lack or inadequacy of textbooks, training problems for teachers and pedagogical supervisors, and the abandonment of the method at the request of parents.
The implementation of bi-plurilingualism has had its setbacks. “The cessation of experimentation with educational reform in 1984 and the transformation of satellite schools into mainstream schools are the most obvious failures of bilingual education in Burkina Faso,” confided Dr. Benoît OUOBA, before concluding that “the introduction of Negro-African languages into education systems must respect a certain number of principles to make them not only effective, but also easily generalizable and efficient.
As a reminder, the official theme chosen by UNESCO is the use of technology for multilingual learning.
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