Master of English Didactics

Principles and Practice of Contemporary EFL teaching

Calderon
Ivonne Alexandra Londoo Leudo
September 1
st
2013
Position Paper 2

PERSPECTIVES OF BILINGUAL EDUCATION IN COLOMBIA: A MONEY BUSINESS

The term bilingual is widely known as the persons competence in two languages; but the concept in
education goes beyond this definition. As a matter of fact, bilingualism presupposes the acquisition of socio-
cultural features, qualified teachers, specialized instruction, language exposure, and appropriate school
environment, specific length according to the context and goals, use of authentic materials, regular
assessments, innovative educational policies and also economical resources. However, bilingual education in
Colombia is completely associated with private schools and institutions for middle and upper classes in which
the aforementioned categories are effectively achieved. This paper argues that bilingual education not only
involves instruction in private schools, but also must lead the development of programs in public institutions.

In the majority of South American countries the predominance of English as a second language is noticeable,
because it provides more possibilities of employment in global markets. In addition, the closeness (historical
connections, glamour image, music, advertisements and economical trades) with the language helps to create
meaningful connections to begin the process of becoming bilingual (Meja, 2004). Nevertheless, Colombia
presents a very particular panorama of bilingualism with the inclusion of these two terms: Monolingualism
and Multilingualism (Curricular Guidelines in Foreign Languages, M.E.N.,1999: 9).

In the Colombian context, bilingualism is linked to the proficiency in a second language but officially
contemplates also our indigenous languages. In the National Constitution of 1991, the country was considered
as pluricultural and multi-ethnical nation (Article 7) which means that the minority languages have the same
status of Spanish (Meja, 2005). Unfortunately, in the country the Amerindian and Creole Bilingualism are
underestimated; giving more importance to Spanish English bilingualism taught in private schools in the
main cities. For instance, there are around 40 50 institutions with prestige having this focus; even though,
they do not have clear the concept of Bilingualism.

Bearing in mind the above, the bilingual education has a relevant support in teachers who must be qualified to
face the challenges that bilingual instruction suggest. The methodologies and strategies that will be applied
depend merely on the context, level (Elementary, Secondary, Post-secondary) and the school situation; we can
find bilingual institutions with more than 15 hours of english teaching with Content based models as
Immersion education (Celce-Murcia, 2001). In fact, this approach is subject matter teaching, having math in
english and other areas of knowledge with regular assessment and school support when students have
weaknesses in the language. In contrast, the Colombian teachers situation respect to bilingual instruction is
the discussion related to the preference of native speaker teachers because it provides an image of High
educational quality for the institutions. In fact, the quality in bilingual educational contexts is also associated
with the kind of material each Institution uses for syllabus and curriculum development.

In the case of authentic materials prevail a merchandise competition among big companies such as
Cambridge, Oxford, Pearson Longman, Scholastic, etc. in which they organize books and units inspired to
English spoken countries culture and linguistic patterns, having a special focus on the development of the four
skills, L2 communication and language usage. Also, they have a section to prepare students for the type of
academic tasks (English for Academic Purposes) they will encounter in international schools, college or
universities. Thus, curriculum design is guided to the institutional goals and the type of material was selected;
including teachers and students resources to take international tests (KET, PET, IELTS, TOEFL, CAE, CPE, etc).
Actually, money is crucial because these materials are really expensive contributing with enough exposure to
the target language as well as the acquisition of the cultural artifact in the process.

In my opinion, the Colombian government should include in its policies the idea of having more bilingual
public institutions, trying to eliminate the gap that exists between public and private institutions in terms of
second language developments, instructional methods and evaluation results. At the beginning, it could start
with the program of Late-exit maintenance for developing literacy in L1 and L2, because is what the National
exams demand. Meanwhile, the immersion programs can be designed to achieve the final goal in Bilingual
education which is the complete instruction in a second language and the students mastery of the L2,
practicing Two way immersion with content based areas and bilingual certified teachers.

In conclusion, bilingual education in Colombia needs to have a catalyst in which the entire population will be
benefited. The government must invest in State institutions with national teachers qualified training,
meaningful resources and better school conditions, providing opportunities for free immersion programs
(teachers and students) and the most relevant showing more attention to the lower classes plus students
needs demystifying the fact that money is everything to be successful in life.
An Education obtained with money is worst that no education at all Socrates.

REFERENCES

Celce-Murcia, M (2001). Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language, 3
rd
edition. Boston, MA: Heinle ELT

Meja, A.M. de (2005). Bilingual education in Colombia: Towards an integrated perspective. In A.M. de Meja
(ed.) Bilingual Education in South America. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.

Meja, A.M. de (2004). Bilingual education in Colombia Towards a Recognition of Languages, Cultures and
Identities. Retrieved from: http://revistas.udistrital.edu.co/ojs/index.php/calj/article/view/176

Ministerio de Educacin Nacional (1999) Lineamientos Curriculares: Idiomas Extranjeros.