Towards a Multilingual Education Policy In Morocco The challenges of an Amazigh language-in-education Policy
Submitted by:
Yamina El Kirat El Allame
Abstract:
Given the diaglossic situation in Morocco and the status of French, the language of instruction of science has engendered passionate and controversial debates among sociolinguists, political leaders and the public alike. The use of mother tongue in education is still contested despite UNESCO highlighting of the advantages of receiving early education in the child’s mother tongue (UNESCO, 1953; Cummins, 2000; Skutnabb-Kangas, 2000). A sizeable body of literature has demonstrated, on the grounds of solid educational evidence, the importance of using mother tongues in the early years of education (UNESCO, 1953; Spolsky, 1986; Pattanayak, 1986; Landers, 2002). Fasold (1992), on the other hand, has raised legitimate concerns about its application. The aim of the present research is to investigate the use of mother tongues in education in Morocco and the issues and difficulties encountered in light of the calls advocating mother tongue based learning using Amazigh, the heritage language of Morocco. The paper aims at revealing the challenges facing an Amazigh language-in-education policy. It addresses three main research questions, namely (i) what place for mother tongues in the Moroccan school? (ii) To what extent is Amazigh used as languages of instruction in Morocco? (iii) What are the main challenges facing the use of Amazigh as language of instruction? The research adopts a qualitative approach making use of interviews, focus groups, and research findings. The paper argues for a multilingual education policy whose objectives are to improve the quality of education in Morocco, make of the school a rather friendly environment and guarantee a smoother transition for the child. The data analysis will shed light on the situation of Amazigh in the system of education and reveal the challenges the language is facing.
Key words: Language in-education – mother tongue education - Amazigh language – multilingual education – Amazigh teaching
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