Port-au-Prince, February 21, 2026.- Every year, February 21 marks the International Mother Tongue Day, an UNESCO initiative proposed by Bangladesh and adopted in 1999 to promote linguistic diversity and multilingual education. Beyond its symbolic significance, this day recalls that mother tongue is a key lever for learning, social inclusion and equal opportunities. In Haiti, the stakes are crystallized around the place of Creole, the mother tongue of the vast majority of the population, facing the predominance of French in the educational system.
Several studies confirm the positive impact of teaching in the language understood by the child. According to the UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Report, nearly 40 per cent of students worldwide are not taught in a language they fully understand. UNICEF reported that children in their mother tongue first develop better literacy skills, have a lower drop-out rate and are more likely to acquire a second language later. For its part, the World Bank stresses that well-structured multilingual education programmes improve school performance, particularly in the early years of the fundamental cycle.
In Haiti, the problem is structural. The Haitian Creole is the mother tongue of almost all the population, while French remains dominant in public administration and in many schools. Although both languages have an official status, the use of French as the main language of instruction in the early years creates a gap between the language of the school and that of the pupils' daily lives.
Education scientists believe that this situation can hinder understanding of fundamental concepts, particularly in mathematics and science, by adding a linguistic barrier to academic difficulties. Local experiences integrating Creole as a teaching language at the fundamental level have shown better student participation and improved reading skills.
Research findings converge: mother tongue education promotes academic success and reduces inequalities. For Haiti, the stakes go beyond the opposition between Creole and French. The aim is to define a coherent language policy, capable of consolidating Creole as a basis for learning while ensuring progressive and effective teaching of French as a second language, with a view to openness and equity.
R.J.
