Senegal’s national bilingual education reform: a SWOT analysis

• In Event: Multilingual Education Can Do Wonders: Improve equitable learning, promote social cohesion, and bridge divides

Proposal

Senegal is a multilingual country with 39 living languages (Eberhard et al., 2024), 25 of which are officially recognized as national languages (Diagne, 2017). These national languages refer to codified African languages native to the region, in contrast to French, Arabic taught in Koranic schools (daaras), or Creoles spoken in neighboring countries. Most Senegalese people speak one or more national languages as their L1. Yet, as in many postcolonial African countries, Senegal’s education system has historically prioritized French—the former colonial language—as the primary language of instruction (LoI), even though only 0.6% of adults speak it as their first language and 26.4% as their second (Eberhard et al., 2024). Research shows that this mismatch between the LoI and students’ home languages and cultures significantly contribute to teaching and learning challenges (Sarr, 2013).
Since 1990, the Senegalese NGO Associates in Research and Education for Development (ARED) has actively advocated for the systematic use of national languages in education. Initially focused on adult literacy, ARED later implemented an innovative simultaneous bilingual and biliteracy program in Wolof and Pulaar alongside French (Benson, 2020) between 2009 and 2018 in four regions—Saint-Louis, Kaolack, Dakar, and Podor—reaching 10,500 learners across six years of primary schooling. Building on this work, the Senegalese government adopted a national bilingual education reform in April 2021: the Modèle harmonisé de l’enseignement bilingue au Sénégal (MOHEBS). ARED’s advocacy played a key role in shaping this reform, which is now being rolled out nationwide.
As of the 2023–2024 academic year, MOHEBS has been implemented in nine regions—Diourbel, Fatick, Kaffrine, Kaolack, Louga, Matam, Saint-Louis, Tambacounda, and Kédougou—using six national languages (Wolof, Pulaar, Diola, Sérère, Soninké, and Mandinka) for instruction, particularly in language and communication subjects. Materials for other disciplines, such as mathematics, are anticipated soon. Until February 2024, the rollout was heavily supported by USAID’s RELIT program, which financed the expansion of bilingual instruction into additional regions and languages, language mapping and community consultations, leadership capacity-building, pedagogical support, community engagement, and continuous feedback mechanisms. The dismantling of USAID in early 2024 disrupted these activities and raised concerns about the reform’s future financing and sustainability.
To better understand these challenges, we conducted a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) based on participant observation as an NGO stakeholder throughout the MOHEBS process. Preliminary findings suggest:
Strengths: Senegal’s longstanding expertise in national language development and its historical commitment to expanding bilingual education since Independence.
Weaknesses: Limited public communication, low awareness, the ambitious scope of the reform, and absence of a coherent national strategy.
Opportunities: Mobilizing public awareness, developing instructional materials, and implementing cost-effective teacher training.
Threats: Loss of external funding, economic crises that could negatively affect the national education budget, and fluctuating political interest over time.
Identifying these factors can help guide targeted financial and technical assistance to ensure the reform’s success and long-term sustainability.

Author

• Mamadou Ly, ARED