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Mauritius is a country where the mother tongues of 92% of people are discriminated against in schools. In October 2009, an adult literacy organization I'm in held an International Hearing into the Harm Done by the Suppression of the Mother Tongues in Schools. 50 witnesses came forward to give evidence before a panel consisting of seven people with vast experience on the issues concerned. The Findings were that there is severe damage of many different kinds by the suppression in schools of the mother tongues. The damage is emotional as well as cognitive. It was also pointed out that in order for a child to be taught through a language which is not his or her own, s/he needs to have already been taught the foreign language for 6-8 years, and then taught only in subjects that are not intellectually nor linguistically demanding for another 3-4. This means that in Mauritius not only the 40% who fail the primary school leaving examination are suffering, but all children are. Anyone interested in the findings can read them on the following web site: www.lalitmauritius.org
The members of the Panel, for anyone interested, were Prof. Tove Skutnabb-Kangas, Prof Beban Sammy Chumbow, Barrister Jean-Claude Bibi, Prof. Vinesh Hookoomsing, Vidya Golam, Medha Moti, and Prof. Robert Phillipson.