Mauritanian opposition rejects education project for minimizing Arabization
Mauritania, Politics, 4/16/1999

In separate statements Mauritanian opposition parties rejected the draft project "of educational reform" which brings back strongly the French language to the country's teaching curricula and considered this project as "an evidence of the failure of the authorities."

The opposition parties, moreover, called for fostering gains achieved by the Arabic language. The party "Work for the Sake of Change," led by Mesoud Ould Balkheir, called for withdrawing this project and addressed to it several criticisms. The party was thought to have supported the return of the French language because it includes in addition to Harratin (Arabs whose origins go back to slavery eras) black Africans, especially supporters of the "Forces of Liberating Black Africans in Mauritania." Those sides call for the use of the French language until the African languages can reach the level of Arabic regarding development.

For its part the main opposition coalition, the Democratic Forces Federation, led by Ahmad Ould Dada, announced in a statement issued in Nouakchott on Thursday expressed "categorical rejection" for the reform project and called for withdrawing it.

He indicated that, "The ruling regime has admitted during reasons behind this draft project of the great failure of its educational policies." The statement recalled the stand advocated by the coalition which calls for "strengthening the gains of the Arabic language as an official language, for developing the African languages and to make it official and called for a totally independent cultural policy."

Other opposition parties considered what has been called by certain people as "the law to Frenchize" as a "crime against the right of the people of Mauritania and their culture." These parties called for abrogating this draft project. Among these parties are the People's Alliance Party, the Nasserite Party and the Baathist C, Vanguard party.

It seems, however, that the opposition parties have met, despite their disputed stances, on the cultural issue in releasing separate statements similar in content and different in the language.

According to the newly-introduced law, French will come back strongly in the teaching curricula. It will be compulsory as of the second year of elementary school. It will be used in all scientific subjects in various stages of teaching.

French used to be as a second language prior to the new law.

Previous Stories:
  Mauritanian parliament to vote on giving up Arabization   (4/13/1999)
  Mauritania's justifications for giving up Arabization   (4/12/1999)
  Mauritania gives up Arabization   (4/9/1999)

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