Languages in Chad

Article 9 of Chad's Constitution recognizes French and Arabic as official languages and requires the promotion of national languages. Law 16/PR/2006 provides for teaching in the two official languages, but implementation varies between regions and institutions. Chadian Arabic functions as an everyday and regional lingua franca, while local languages are widely used in families and communities. French is especially relevant in administration, formal education and international or professional communication. The Ministry of National Education, Bilingualism and Civic Promotion, commonly referred to as MENBPC, works with the Direction de l'alphabétisation et de la promotion des langues nationales, known as DAPLAN, and other education bodies. The University of N'Djamena, teacher-training institutions and the CALF network also support language learning. There is no reliable evidence of a general individual language-test requirement for entry to schools or courses. Children may speak a local language or Chadian Arabic at home while formal teaching uses French or Arabic, which can create a comprehension gap. A World Bank-supported programme launched in 2022 has developed teaching in Mada, Chadian Arabic, Massa, Moundang and Sar for grades 1 to 3, with a target of 1,200 schools and trained teachers. Pilot models plan a transition to French or Arabic after three or four years. In Guéra, the FAPLG model provides literacy in 15 local languages and preschool education for children aged five to six in a mother tongue, combined with oral French preparation. This is a regional model, not a national standard. DAPLAN runs adult literacy programmes across Chad, mainly for learners aged 15 and above, with an average of about 140,000 learners per year. The RAMAED pilot in December 2023 involved 840 participants in six provinces and used Sar, Chadian Arabic and French. Its learning areas included reading, writing, numeracy, everyday life, health, the environment, civic participation, income-generating activities and digital skills; its results were still under analysis at the research date. CALF centres in N'Djamena, Moundou, Abéché, Sarh, Adré and Mongo offer French as a foreign or second language from A1 to C2 under the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. Courses may be general or professional, including French for Specific Purposes for administration, health, education or nongovernmental organisations. Centres offer regular, intensive, evening and weekend formats, using group work, role-play, audio, video and examination simulations. Learners must contact the relevant centre because fees, session dates and admission conditions are not reliably published in one national source. CALF also prepares and organizes DELF and DALF French proficiency examinations and TEF French assessments. DELF covers levels A1 to B2 and DALF covers C1 to C2. Examination dates and fees depend on the centre. No reliable evidence shows a nationwide standardized examination system for Arabic or local languages. Qur'anic and Arabic schools provide another functional literacy option, but their main purpose is religious education and their access, quality and costs vary locally. The Ministry has expressed interest in English and other languages, but a nationwide standardized network of English or Arabic courses beyond documented CALF formats has not been established by the available evidence. Digital learning remains uneven. The PRET 2025–2027/2028 programme includes Tchad-EducaTIC curriculum and learning-material digitization. UNICEF distance learning by radio, television and mobile devices reached 968,077 learners by April 2021, while Lafya materials used French, Arabic and Ngambaye audio and video. Airtel-supported connectivity covered 13 secondary schools and 23 teacher-training schools, but there is no evidence of a national language-specific learning app. There is no verified nationwide fee schedule for official courses or examinations. DAPLAN programmes are ongoing, while CALF schedules follow each centre's regular, intensive, evening or weekend timetable. An older PASEC 2014 baseline found that only 20% of primary-school graduates had a good foundation in reading and mathematics in French and Arabic; this figure describes an earlier situation and should not be treated as a current national measurement.