Language Policy in Benin and Rights to Education in Local Mother Tongues

This chapter discusses language policy in Benin and supports all citizens’ rights to education in mother tongues. The chapter explores definitions of the term “policy” and examines the need or rationale for language policies in human societies. The author examines the colonial experience in Benin as well as the impact of French colonialism on indigenous languages. Ultimately, this is also a description of language policy in Benin in the post-colonial era. It is a call for change; it is a new policy recommendation in defense of institutionalizing the use of mother tongues as official languages just like French in France, Chinese in China, and German in Germany.