Language and identity are linked – as the term ‘mother tongue’ implies. A healthy identity balances different aspects of our personalities…. Years of research have shown that children who begin their education in their mother tongue make a better start, and continue to perform better, than those for whom school starts with a new language. The same applies to adults seeking to become literate. This conclusion is now widely implemented, although we still hear of governments that insist on imposing a foreign language of instruction on young children, either in a mistaken attempt at modernity or to express the pre-eminence of a social dominant group. [John Daniel, Assistant Director-General for Education]