wˌɛn ðə kˈʌntɹi wʌzɐ bˈɛldʒən kˈɑːləni, ɪt hæd ɔːlɹˌɛdi ˈɪnstɪtˌuːɾᵻd tˈiːtʃɪŋ ænd jˈuːs ʌvðə fˈoːɹ nˈæʃənəl lˈæŋɡwɪdʒᵻz ɪn pɹˈaɪmɚɹi skˈuːlz, mˌeɪkɪŋ ɪt wˈʌn ʌvðə fjˈuː ˈæfɹɪkən nˈeɪʃənz tə hæv hæd lˈɪɾɚɹəsi ɪn lˈoʊkəl lˈæŋɡwɪdʒᵻz dˈʊɹɹɪŋ ðə jˌʊɹɹəpˈiən kəlˈoʊnɪəl pˈiəɹɪəd.
When the country was a Belgian colony, it had already instituted teaching and use of the four national languages in primary schools, making it one of the few African nations to have had literacy in local languages during the European colonial period.