Challenges of Mathematics Education in a Multilingual Post-Colonial Context

In spite of Suriname’s national independence, the Dutch language has remained the primary medium of instruction used in the school system, and the only medium that may open the access to upward social mobility in Suriname. However, Dutch is one of the home languages for only a small minority of the pupils. A high percentage of children, especially in the interior of the country, may have never heard a word of Dutch until they start school (Arends & Carlin, 2002, p. 285).