Policy guide on the integration of African languages and cultures into education systems

The purpose of this guide is to affirm the policy stance that multilingual and multicultural education should be chosen as the general education system in African countries, with a view to the transformation of African societies. The aim of this transformation, in turn, is to reduce poverty through sustainable development based on African languages and cultures. For this reason, it should be pursued through the programs of existing institutions, whose capacity needs to be strengthened accordingly. Such an education system not only offers equality of opportunity and success to all children, it raises the quality of the education provided because the learner’s own language is used as the medium of instruction, with the opportunity of learning other national and foreign languages. It also releases people’s creativity and strengthens social cohesion. In employing African languages, the education system helps to consolidate the decentralisation policies adopted by some countries.