For generations, classrooms across The Gambia have followed a familiar pattern: children begin their education in English, a language many barely hear at home, while their rich repertoire of local languages remains largely sidelined. Now,a new research project led by King’s College London is testing whether reversing that logic could transform learning outcomes. Backed by King’s funding and developed in close partnership with Gambian educators and policymakers, the multilingual education pilots are introducing mother-tongue instruction into early primary grades, while systematically building children’s skills in English as a second language. The initiative aims not only to boost literacy and numeracy, but also to generate robust evidence that could inform national education policy-and contribute to a growing global debate over how best to teach children in linguistically diverse societies.
From classroom to community Exploring how multilingual teaching transforms learning in Gambian primary schools
Inside Grade 1 classrooms in Banjul and rural villages alike, children are now solving maths problems, reading folktales and debating climate change using the languages they speak at home. Teachers move fluidly between English and local tongues, using code-switching as a purposeful instructional tool rather than a last resort. This approach has begun to reshape lessons into collaborative spaces, where pupils are encouraged to question, summarise and explain concepts to peers in the language that makes the most sense to them. Early classroom observations show that pupils who once stayed silent are now volunteering answers, while teachers report that conceptual understanding is deeper and more durable when children can first grasp ideas in familiar languages before transitioning to English terminology.
- Parents join reading circles in community centres, supporting homework in local languages.
- Head teachers coordinate with village leaders to align school topics with local concerns,from agriculture to health.
- Local storytellers co-create curriculum materials, turning oral traditions into classroom texts.
- Community radio programmes broadcast mini-lessons, reinforcing school content at home.
| Focus Area | Customary Practise | Multilingual Shift |
|---|---|---|
| Literacy | English-only primers | Dual-language storybooks |
| Assessment | Single-language tests | Mixed-language oral and written tasks |
| Family Role | Limited homework support | Active home reading in local languages |
| Teacher Training | General pedagogy focus | Specialist multilingual methodology |
Teacher training at the core Building local capacity to design and deliver mother tongue instruction
At the heart of the Gambian pilot is a sustained investment in educators themselves, transforming teachers from content deliverers into confident multilingual practitioners. Intensive workshops,co-facilitated by King’s researchers and local experts,focus on practical classroom strategies rather than abstract theory,ensuring that teachers can immediately apply new skills in real lessons. Training sessions are delivered in both English and local languages, modelling the very pedagogy being promoted.Teachers work with customised materials, role-play lessons, and receive ongoing mentoring visits to help them navigate challenges such as code-switching, translation of key concepts, and managing mixed-language classrooms. Over time, this approach is laying the foundations for a cadre of local specialists able to champion and sustain mother tongue-based education without permanent external support.
The program also recognises that strong classroom practice depends on a supportive professional ecosystem.School leaders and regional education officers are engaged through targeted sessions that highlight how multilingual teaching can raise literacy outcomes and strengthen community trust in schools. This has led to new forms of collaboration, including:
- Peer learning circles where teachers exchange lesson plans and reflect on trials.
- Locally developed resources such as storybooks and visual aids in multiple languages.
- Data-informed coaching based on regular classroom observations and feedback.
| Training Focus | Classroom Outcome |
|---|---|
| Mother tongue literacy methods | Earlier reading confidence |
| Multilingual lesson planning | Smoother language transitions |
| Community language mapping | Materials tailored to pupils’ realities |
Measuring impact Early evidence on literacy, equity and student engagement in pilot schools
In the first year of classroom observation, teachers in pilot schools reported a visible shift in how pupils approached reading and participation. When lessons began in Wolof, Mandinka or Fula before transitioning to English, children were quicker to decode text, more willing to attempt new vocabulary and less likely to disengage during whole-class reading.Teachers noted that quieter pupils, especially girls, started to volunteer answers and lead group tasks once their home language was legitimised as a tool for learning. Early assessment data suggests that pupils in the pilot cohort are progressing faster in foundational literacy than their peers in comparison schools, notably in phonemic awareness and reading fluency.
Across the eight participating schools, researchers documented a parallel impact on equity and inclusion, with community stakeholders describing the project as a “leveller” for children who previously struggled to follow English-only instruction. Classroom walkthroughs show that learners from language-minority backgrounds are now more visible in group discussions, and parent-teacher meetings record higher attendance from caregivers who had previously felt excluded by language barriers. Early indicators are summarised below, offering a snapshot of the project’s emerging outcomes:
- Improved early-grade reading in both local languages and English.
- Narrowing participation gaps between boys and girls during oral activities.
- Greater confidence among teachers to adapt materials for multilingual classrooms.
- Stronger home-school links through community language use and outreach.
| Indicator | Pilot Schools | Comparison Schools |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 2 basic reading tasks completed | 78% | 61% |
| Students speaking at least once per lesson | 4 in 5 | 2 in 5 |
| Girls leading group work | 45% | 23% |
| Parents attending termly meetings | 70% | 38% |
Scaling up responsibly Policy recommendations for national roll out and sustainable donor partnerships
To move from promising pilots to nationwide impact,The Gambia will need to match ambition with clear governance,phased implementation and clear evaluation. This means embedding multilingual education into national education sector plans, teacher training frameworks and inspection standards, rather than relying on isolated projects. It also means creating a dedicated coordination unit within the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education to align curriculum, assessment, and community engagement, with technical input from universities such as King’s College London and Gambian teacher training colleges. A staged approach,starting with lower primary and gradually extending upward,can protect classroom quality while new materials,assessments and teacher mentoring systems are stress-tested in real schools.
- Align donor funds with national curricula and language-in-education policies, not parallel systems.
- Commit to multi-year financing so schools avoid stop-start programming and teacher turnover.
- Ring-fence resources for continuous teacher growth, classroom observation and language-sensitive assessment.
- Co-design indicators with communities to track both literacy outcomes and social inclusion.
| Priority Area | Government Role | Donor Role |
|---|---|---|
| Policy & Planning | Set standards, timelines | Fund technical support |
| Teacher Workforce | Recruit, deploy, accredit | Back training & mentoring |
| Monitoring & Evidence | Own data systems | Support independent reviews |
to sum up
As these pilots move into their next phase, the work in The Gambia will offer an vital test case for how multilingual education can be designed, delivered and scaled in low-resource settings. The King’s-led team will now focus on tracking pupil progress,refining classroom materials and strengthening teacher support,with findings feeding directly into national policy discussions.
If successful, the project could help shift the terms of the debate on language and learning far beyond The Gambia’s borders-providing rare, data-driven insight into how embracing pupils’ home languages might unlock better outcomes across entire education systems.
