Linguistic policy challenges in Madagascar

Abstract

According to the country's constitution, Madagascar has one national language, Malagasy.Modern schools and the present-day written language were introduced by British missionaries at the beginning of the 19th century.French as a language of instruction and as a subject were introduced by the French colonists, holding the power from 1896 to 1960.After independence in 1960, French continued to be the language of instruction until 1972.From then until 1991, Malagasy was introduced as the medium of instruction at all levels in primary and secondary education.From about 1992, the pendulum swung back, French was reintroduced as the language of instruction during the first five years of schooling.In 2008 the government introduced a new educational reform.Malagasy is now used as the language of instruction during the first seven years and is gradually substituted by French.The shifting policies and its consequences are the subject of study in this article. "If you want to become perfect in knowledgethen learn all languages without ever forgetting your own" 1

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