The paper adds to the ongoing debate over whether education in multicultural societies should be provided in the native tongue of the children in the classrooms. Material is presented from two grassroots level village studies carried out in Senegal and Sri Lanka as a source of insiders' perceptions and desires. Comparative data from diverse countries are also used to attest to the complexity of the matter. Two issues are addressed: (1) language as a vehicle for social advancement and empowerment, from the bottom-up perspective; and (2) language as a means to promote national pride and unity, from the top-down perspective. It is concluded that there is a gap between what theorists proclaim as ideal and the real-life empirical world of schools in very poor multilingual countries. Contains 15 references. (LB)