
Colours of the Alphabet

Colours of the Alphabet
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Overview
It is estimated that 40% of the world’s population lack the opportunity to be educated in their own language. In Colours of the Alphabet we get an insight into the challenges this poses as we follow a group of first graders in Zambia – a country with 72 local languages where education is primarily offered in English.
Release Date
2016-02-21
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Does the future have to be in English?
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