Languages of French overseas territories and the French educational system

Abstract

This article deals with the Regional Languages issue in French overseas territories, and how it is met by the educational system. It shows that the national framework, with French as the only teaching language in schools, as well as a very restrictive law about regional languages, works in an unsatisfactory way in a highly multilingual situation, which is very different from one place to another, and in which some children arrive at school with no knowledge of French. The obvious inadequacy of programs and methods, which brings about school failure for too many children and professional unease among most teachers, has led to increasing concerns, to deeper insights, and, at least in some places, to a few fruitful innovations, which may or may not be supported by the educational hierarchy.