What in the World - Do students learn best in their first language?

Download Do students learn best in their first language?

Children learn best when they’re taught in the language they use at home, research suggests. But there's the question about the power of world languages like English, Spanish, French or Arabic and how they could provide more opportunities to those who learn it, be it in education or a career.

You’ve been messaging us about what languages you learned in at school. Say hello to Brian in Kenya and Christian in the Philippines!

We then skip over to Nigeria, where our reporter Makuochi Okafor breaks down for us why the government is reversing its policy of teaching in other languages that aren't English. And our colleague Santiago tells us what went wrong when he was learning in English in his Colombian school.

Plus, we get the research from Justine Sass, from UNESCO - the UN agency for education, science and culture.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld
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Presenter: Hannah Gelbart
Producers: Julia Ross-Roy, Chelsea Coates, Maria Clara Montoya and Emily Horler
Editor: Verity Wilde

Published on Wednesday, 26th November 2025.

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