For several years, ARED has supported the Senegalese government in its pursuit of quality education, particularly through the integration of national languages as a medium of learning. With the support of partners such as The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Dubai Cares, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, ARED has designed and implemented an innovative bilingual education model, now recognized for its effectiveness and scalability.
This model is based on the simultaneous use of the mother tongue and French from the early years of schooling. Unlike traditional “delayed bilingualism” approaches, ARED promotes a “real-time bilingualism” method: the learner’s first language is introduced alongside French from the first year, across all core subjects. This method facilitates learning, enhances understanding, and strengthens skills in reading, mathematics, and science and social life education (ESVS), ensuring continuity between preschool and primary levels.
Today, ARED is fully integrated into national strategic frameworks such as the Programme to Improve Quality, Equity, and Transparency in Education and Training (PAQUET-EF), actively contributing to Senegal’s public policy on pedagogical innovation.
As part of this program, ARED has produced and distributed a substantial set of educational resources: X manuals and X methodological guides, written in national languages and in French, to support teachers' work and ensure coherent learning.
ARED’s originality also lies in its partnership-based approach, bringing together ministries, educational institutions, and technical partners around a shared ambition: to strengthen the role of African languages in education to sustainably improve learning outcomes.
Today, ARED is fully integrated into national strategic frameworks such as the Programme d'Amélioration de la Qualité, de l'Équité et de la Transparence de l'Education et de la Formation (PAQUET-EF), actively contributing to Senegal's public policy of pedagogical innovation.
ARED’s close partnership with the Ministry of National Education—formalized by an official circular letter since 2011—has enabled the integration of the bilingual model into the official timetable of public schools, an unprecedented recognition for a civil society initiative.
ARED continues its commitment by closely collaborating with national departments such as Department of Basic Education, Department of Mother Tongue Languages, National Institute for Study and Action for Education Development, National Center of Education Resources, Department of Planning and Education Reform, Department of Training and Communication, as well as with Academy Inspectorates (IA) and Education and Training Inspectorates (IEF) in all targeted areas.
