A three-language model for language education in Sub-Saharan Africa is outlined. The three languages would be the local community language, a major language chosen to be the "lingua franca" of a region, and the official language to be used country-wide. The model is developed to include the following factors: ethnic, linguistic, geographical, demographic, social, psychological, cultural, political, and economic. The language planning process is related to individual or group agents of cultural change, consultation, legal enactment of language policies, development of adequate teaching materials, and the need for teacher training. The implementation of the three-language formula is developed from the situation where one language is used for familiar purposes and another for communal and public purposes. Planning for instruction in these languages and in further languages is adapted to the school cycle as well as to various types of non-formal education. Several evaluations and evaluative criteria for language projects and programs are mentioned. In the case of the three-language model, it is suggested that planners note which public domains are affected by the three language levels, and whether public harmony has been enhanced by a balance between them. A select bibliography is appended. (AMH)