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<osborndo@pilot.msu.edu> In a speech on national education given on 13 November 1999 (and published in the 16 November issue of the newspaper _Essor_, the Malian president Konare made the following statement in the context of remarks concerning the introduction of instruction in the various national languages of the country: "... dans la longue histoire de l'humaniti, jamais aucun peuple n'a riussi domestiquer la science et le progrhs dans la langue d'autrui." [in the long history of humanity, never has any people succeeded in domesticating science and progress in the language of others] I'd be interested in any ideas about the implications of this perspective for the longer term evolution of education (esp. higher ed.) in the multilingual societies of Africa, as well as any thoughts on its implications for social and economic development efforts. Personally, I've been given to think that the importance of maternal languages - and of indigenous lingua francas - has received too little attention and that *perhaps* some of the possibilities opened up by ICTs may help restore a balance.
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