Contributing to Language and Education Policy Development

Government policies that support the use of non-dominant languages in education have a significant positive influence on the ability of people to use their languages for learning.  While good policies do not guarantee good programs, policies which discourage or do not allow the use of local languages for education can effectively stifle the learning process for people who come from communities in which the official [school] language is not heard or used.  

SIL provides technical input for policy makers and other stakeholders in developing language and education policies that

• affirm their country’s linguistic diversity, and recognize each language as a national resource;
• provide clear support for mother tongue-based education and establish clear directives for planning, implementing and sustaining programs for children, youth and adults in the formal and non-formal education systems
• encourage government agencies, NGOs and other supporting agencies to work together with ethnolinguistic communities in planning, implementing and maintaining mother tongue-based education programs

Resources for Policy Development