Hassana Alidou (1955 - )

Short Biography & Significant Contribution

Dr. Hassana Alidou is a full professor of Education and Cross-cultural Studies at the Graduate School of Education at Alliant International University located in San Diego, California. Dr. Alidou specialization focuses on language policy in education and development, development of multilingual literate environments, women studies and peace education. She has worked extensively in well over 30 countries in Africa with language of instruction policies in order to provide technical guidance to national governments and international organizations (i.e. UNESCO, World Bank, ACALAN, and ADEA). Dr. Alidou holds a masters and doctorate degree in socio-linguistics from the University of Illinois, taught at Texas A&M prior to teaching at Alliant International University, has written and published books and several articles, and speaks frequently at conferences and lectures around the world from England to Burkina Faso. Outside of Dr. Alidou's professional life she spends significant amounts of time supporting community-based organizations in San Diego and various organizations within Africa.

Dr. Alidou has written extensively on Gender in International Development, the promotion of African languages in education, particularly in francophone countries. She has collaborated extensively with other specialist in the field of socio-linguistic and is one of the leading thinkers in promoting bilingual education in Africa. While she has provided extensive knowledge in language planning and policies and multicultural education, she also has contributed by providing teacher training, textbook production and the development of literate environments in multilingual settings. She has edited mother tongue textbooks used in Niger and Burkina Faso. Dr. Alidou is originally from Niger and is able to identify as an African, which brings strength to her writing. Her fluency in English, French, and other African indigenous languages has made her somewhat unique in the field as she is able to examine and compare multiple education systems within Africa. Dr. Alidou has contributed significantly to they way in which education language policy is examined in Africa. In her writings she has spent a significant amount of time not only focusing on the educational impact of language policy but also the societal affects that language policies have on Africa. Dr. Alidou works extensively to educate African national ministries and international organizations regarding the advantages of mother-tongue language.

Educational Background

PhD, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, 1997 (socio-linguistics)

Masters, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, 1991 (socio-linguistics)

BS, Universite de Niamey, Niger, 1987 (linguistique)

Professional Background

November 2004-present Research Consultant Stock-taking Research Project on bi/multilingual and mother tongue education in Africa UNESCO Institute for Education Hamburg, Germany, 2004

2002- Present: Associate Professor, International Teacher Education Coordinator, TESOL Doctorate Program (San Diego), Graduate School of Education Alliant International University San Diego, California., 2002

2002-2003 Research Consultant Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) Paris, FranceEvaluation of Mother tongue education projects in Africa (background paper) in Preparation of the 2003 Minister of Education Conference., 2002

2000-2001 Research Consultant Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) Paris, France Wrote the synthesis of the studies on the development of a publishing sector in national languages in Africa., 2000-2001

2000-2003 Senior Consultant and academic Director The German Foundation for International Development, UNICEF and Burkina Faso Ministry of Education Bilingual Education and Literacy and Reading Project., 2000-2003

1999-2000 Consultant-lecturer Refresher Course for The World Bank Education Specialists Institute of Development Studies, Sussex University Brighton, United Kingdom., 1999-2000

1998 - 2002: Assistant Professor, ESL, International Multicutural Education Coordinator ESL and International Education Department of Teaching, Learning and Culture College of Education, Texas A&M University College Station, Texas., 1998-2002

1996-1997 Senior Education and Literacy Consultant The Dutch Development Agency SNV-Niger Niamey, Niger., 1996-1997

1994-2000 Senior Consultant and Coordinator The German Foundation for International Development Basic Education Project in Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso., 1994-2000

1993-1994 Lecturer Department of Linguistics Universite' de Niamey, Niger International Education and International Development, 1993-1994

1992-1994 Teaching and Research Assistant Department of Linguistics University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign Urbana-Champaign, Illinois., 1992-1994

Affiliations (associations, organizations, institutions)

AAWEL (founder)

Oruwoca Inc. (board member)

Selected Publications

Alidou, H. and Brock-Utne, B. (2005). Teaching Practices - Teaching in a Familiar Language. In UNESCO (Ed.) (2005). Optimizing Learning and Education in Africa: The Language Factor. ADEA/UIE/GTZ: Stocktaking Research on Mother Tongue- (MT) and Bilingual Education (BLE) in Africa. Hamburg: UNESCO Institute for Education (UIE)

Brock-Utne, B. & Alidou, H. (2005). Active students - learning through a language they master. In UNESCO (Ed.) (2005). Optimizing Learning and Education in Africa: The Language Factor. ADEA/UIE/GTZ: Stocktaking Research on Mother Tongue- (MT) and Bilingual Education (BLE) in Africa. Hamburg: UNESCO Institute for Education (UIE)

Alidou, H., Galdames, V. & Jung, I. & Buttner T. (2004). L'#COLE VIVANTE: enseigner la langue maternelle dans un programme d'e'ducation bilingue. inwent KfW, Ets Daouda. (See the table of contents)

Alidou, H. (2003). The Medium of Instruction in Sub-Saharan Africa. In Tollefson, J. W. and Tsui, A. B. M. (Eds.). Medium of Instruction Policies: Which Agenda? Whose Agenda? Mahwah: Lawrence Earlbaum Associates. Pp. 195-214.

Alidou, H. and Garba, M. (2003). Evaluation et Enseignements des Expe'riences d'Utilisation des Langues Africaines comme Langues d'Enseignement. Background paper for the preparation of the bi-annual conference on African education held at the Mauritius Island. Paris: Association pour le De'veloppement de l'Education en Afrique (ADEA).

Alidou, H., Larke, P. and Carter, N. (2002). Sharing the Pain: Cultural Wars, Policies and Politics in Teaching Multicultural Education Courses in Predominantly White Universities. In Patricia Larke and Norvella Carter (Eds.) Examining Practices in Multicultural Education. College Station, TX: Joy Publishing.Pp. 31-44.

Alidou, H. and Jung, I. (2002). Education Language Policies in Francophone Africa: What have we learnt from field Experiences? In Baker, S. (Ed.). Language Policy: Lessons From Global Models. Monterey, California: Monterey Institute for International Studies. Pp.59-74

Alidou, H. (2002). Language Policies and Language Education in Francophone Africa: A critique and a call to action. In Sinfree Makon and Geneva Smitherman, Arnetha Ball, and Arthur K. Spears (Eds.), Black Linguistics: Language, Society, and Politics in Africa and the Americas. London and New York: Routledge. Pp.103-114.

Alidou-Ngame, H. (2000). Strate'gies pour le de'veloppement dun secteur e'ditorial en langues nationales dans les pays du Sahel Burkina Aso, Mali Niger et Se'ne'gal. London: Groupe de Travail sur les Livres et le Mate'riel Educatif. Perspectives sur le de'veloppement du livre africain. London: Working Group on Books and Learning Materials of the Association for the Development of Education in Africa.

Alidou, H. (2000). Preparing Teachers for the Education of New Immigrant Students from Africa. Action in Teacher Education, Vol. 23 (2a), (pp101-107).

Alidou, Hassana (1997). Language Education Policy and Bilingualism: The Impact of French Language Policy in Primary Education in Niger. Ph.D. Thesis (Unpublished). University of Illinois, Department of Linguistics. Champaign-Urbana.

Alidou, H. & Wolff, E. (1989). Desegmentalization and Tone in Tubu: "Definite" Marking in the Daza Dialect of Tasker (Niger). Journal of West African Languages Vol. 19:67-73.

Created: 11/20/2012

Updated: 12/4/2012

Contributed By: Sarah Akolor