Reflections on foreign languages in Tunisian preschools

The preparation of early childhood educators in Tunisia has become part of the mainstream pre-service teacher education programmes. Nonetheless, this field has not yet reached the expected maturity as evidenced by the lack of a guiding vision. A case in point that attests to this state of opacity is the example of foreign language (FL) education. The sector has hardly accommodated the needs of both educators and pre-schoolers. Following an examination of the problems and challenges burdening this area of education, this paper suggests the awakening-to-languages approach (ALA) as an alternative project that maps the future course of FL education wherein young learners grow within pedagogy of discovery and critical thinking rather than mere achievement. This project, long championed by European educationalists, may play a key role in supporting a realistic vision for teaching foreign languages to a segment of learners meagrely addressed by the FL education community in Tunisia.