Representation of French and national languages in bilingual education in the rural commune of Youri (Niger).; [REPRÉSENTATIONS DU FRANÇAIS ET DES LANGUES NATIONALES DANS L’ENSEIGNEMENT BILINGUE DANS LA COMMUNE RURALE DE YOURI (NIGER)]

Learning French as an official language allows for the acquisition of the basic skills necessary for integration into social and economic life in Niger. To this end, the Education and Training Sector Program (PSEF 2014-2024) emphasizes bilingual education, which it considers to be one of the conditions for quality education. Our article examined the representations of parents and teachers about bilingual education by highlighting two factors, namely the relevance of the languages used in teaching and learning (French and national languages) for the parents, and the teaching conditions in bilingual schools. The qualitative approach adopted in this study has shown that parents and teachers do acknowledge the relevance of bilingual education as a means that facilitates the learning of French. However, it appeared that parents and teachers show more positive representations of French as a second language (L2) than of national languages (L1) in the school system. In addition, the pilot schools carried out on bilingual education witnessed enormous difficulties for schools to access the necessary teaching resources, and, above all, to implement suitable teacher training to teach national languages. The definition of educational policies and bilingual education programs should take into account the value of achieving the goal of these programs (why enroll the child in a bilingual school), their intrinsic value (the interest and pleasure related to bilingual education), and their functional value (the benefits derived from learning). Lastly, teaching a program effectively will require solid training for the actors involved in the school system (teachers and supervisors) and sufficient teaching materials in the disciplines taught. © 2023 Fabrizio Serra Editore Srl. All rights reserved.