Why is French used in education and official communication in Chad?

The use of French in Chad’s education and official communication is a legacy of the country’s history as a French colony. Chad became part of the federation of French Equatorial Africa in 1910 and later an overseas territory of the French Republic in 1946.12

During the colonial era, French educational policy was designed to expand the influence of the French language and culture. Following independence, the traditional French system persisted, and French remained the primary language of instruction. Today, French serves as one of Chad's two official languages alongside Arabic. Its use in official communication and education is deeply linked to the development of the country's school system, although its penetration into rural areas remains uneven. While a regional form of French is widely spoken in urban centers, the country remains linguistically diverse, with more than 100 different languages and dialects spoken across its regions.345