Navigating the Trilingual Policy: Implementation Realities and Pedagogical Tensions in Cameroonian Primary Classrooms

Cameroon's trilingual education policy mandates the use of English, French, and a national language as mediums of instruction in primary schools. This ambitious policy aims to foster national integration and enhance learning, yet its implementation occurs within a complex sociolinguistic landscape where practical classroom realities are often overlooked. This study investigates the on-the-ground enactment of the trilingual policy in primary classrooms. Its objectives are to analyse the pedagogical strategies teachers employ, identify the tensions that arise during implementation, and understand the factors that constrain or facilitate effective multilingual teaching. A qualitative, multi-site case study was conducted across six primary schools in two regions. Data were generated through non-participant classroom observations, in-depth interviews with teachers and headteachers, and documentary analysis of lesson plans and policy texts. A significant finding is the widespread practice of concurrent translation, where teachers frequently code-switch between the three languages within a single lesson, often prioritising English or French. This creates a pedagogical tension between policy ideals and the practical need for pupil comprehension, with national languages frequently relegated to a supplementary role. Teacher training was identified as a critical deficit. The study concludes that the policy's implementation is characterised by adaptive pragmatism rather than prescribed adherence. The resultant hybrid practices reveal a gap between policy rhetoric and classroom praxis, challenging assumptions about linear policy enactment in multilingual contexts. Recommendations include revising pre-service and in-service teacher training to provide concrete pedagogical models for trilingual instruction, and developing context-sensitive school-level implementation frameworks that acknowledge existing linguistic hierarchies and resource constraints. language policy, multilingual education, primary education, implementation, code-switching, teacher agency, Cameroon This paper provides a novel, grounded analysis of the micro-level pedagogical decision-making and hybrid practices that characterise the enactment of a high-stakes multilingual policy, moving beyond macro-level policy critique.