Formal and informal education in Côte d’Ivoire

The issue of using mother tongues in schools and for literacy training remains highly controversial. Given the often starkly divided positions between those who support the introduction of mother tongues in schools and those who see no benefit in doing so, the disagreement and divide appear to be growing. For the effective promotion of Ivorian languages, it is clear that it is high time to move from lamentations to concrete action. Indeed, everything that could be said to deplore the non-use of these languages in education has been said. Among other things, the right of children to be educated in their mother tongue, which must be guaranteed, has been denounced. This is all the more important given that using the mother tongue from the very beginning of schooling facilitates the acquisition of basic knowledge by the child. Clearly, legal experts believe that teaching in Ivorian languages is a matter of social justice, or justice tout court.