Language, education, and development: post-colonial societies and neoliberalism

Abstract

This article assesses the position of post-colonial societies within a neoliberal paradigm through an analysis of the role of language in education and the importance of adequate academic preparation for social development. Generally, teacher–student interactions constitute the foundational substance of learning processes. Since education revolves around language, omitting the way language affects classroom instruction amounts to omitting a key factor that might impede or facilitate education. Because these interactions tend to happen around textbooks, and given that textbooks are often ideologically saturated, an analysis of interactional patterns and textbook discourses may help to assess how the education system can improve students’ academic development and the external efficiency of the system. The article makes the case for post-colonial societies to define strategic visions that are in concert with their specific needs, as opposed to being strangled into grand narratives such as neoliberalism that may be counterproductive for the growth of their societies.

Keywords:

• Post-colonialism
• neoliberalism
• Haiti
• language
• education
• Creole
• discourse
• classroom discourse
• socioeconomic development

Notes

1 ‘Among the French-based Creole speaking countries in the world, Haiti is the largest, with its 27,750 square kilometers and its 10 million inhabitants. It is the most populated creolophone country to have emerged in the post-Columbus era. Haitians who are born and who grow up in Haiti have oral fluency in Creole for everyday purposes. However, as demonstrated above, school instruction is predominantly in French, and the French language is favored in different official settings in society. Haiti has faced chronically low levels of academic achievement in its schools and high dropout rates. Although the vast majority of Haitian students learn French for the first time at school, they are expected to perform well in classroom activities and in exams, which are typically in French’ (Jean-Pierre 2016, 13).

2 For more information about this curriculum, see Jean-Pierre (2016).

3 The statements selected from the text of the Ministry are translated from French to English by the author of this article.

4 This reflection takes into account the overall language and education policies in the former colonial powers or developed nations. A discussion on the way some minority groups struggle to be academically successful in these countries is beyond the scope of this article.