Indigenous languages in education: Senegal targets literacy doubling in 10 years

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Johannesburg, South Africa – Senegal has announced a transformative shift in its education system by making indigenous languages the primary medium of instruction in primary schools from 2025. Currently, only 40% of the Senegalese population is literate in French, the official language, whereas nearly 90% are fluent in local languages such as Wolof and Pulaar.

The government aims to double the literacy rate to 80% by 2035.

This policy mirrors Rwanda’s success, where adopting Kinyarwanda in primary education led to a 35% improvement in academic performance over a decade.

Senegal anticipates that this inclusive educational strategy will reduce the rural dropout rate, which currently stands at 25%, to below 10% by 2030.

The project has an initial budget of $500 million and will be implemented in partnership with UNESCO. An estimated 200,000 new teachers will need training over the next five years to meet demand.