Bilingual Education in the Middle East and North Africa

Abstract

Bilingual education in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) has a rich and contested history. Yet related research and publication in English is relatively new. This chapter synthesizes key literature published in English to provide an overview of bilingual education in MENA. Encompassing a number of languages and a variety of school models, bilingual education in the Maghreb, Mashreq, and Gulf states has evolved from different historical periods and sociopolitical, cultural, and economic circumstances. This chapter focuses on bilingual education as those “officially” sanctioned forms of schooling that engage Arabic alongside at least one other language, generally an “elite,” “western,” “foreign” language emerging from colonial or contemporary contact, rather than historically minoritized languages. Through selected cases, it serves to highlight commitment to various forms of bilingual education across the region, with varying success and support.