PONTIFICIA UNIVERSIDAD JAVERIANA
COMUNICACIÓN Y LENGUAJE
LICENCIATURA EN LENGUAS MODERNAS
LOW
ADVANCED ENGLISH
Viviana
Silva B.
Pros and cons essay
Bilingual schools in Colombia: double edged weapons
The Ministerio de
Educación Nacional says that "The management of a foreign language is
certainly a skill that empowers individuals, gives them greater opportunities
for access to knowledge and other cultures and makes them more
competitive". Based on this statement, bilingual schools have designed
their teaching programs in which -in this case- almost all subjects are taught
in English. Although the intensity of those programs ensures the learning and
appropriation of the language, the low importance given to the mother tongue
and local culture can lead to a loss of identity and sense of belonging of
Colombian students. For that reason, bilingual schools in Colombia should take
into account the risks and benefits of teaching and learning English before
designing their academic programs.
There are several benefits
of learning English. To start with, people who know this language have more job
opportunities than people who speak only Spanish. As a research made by El
Heraldo revealed, in Colombia “between 70 and 80% of companies expect their
professionals to manage at least English as a second language” (Casalins, 2010) which means that corporations
tend to hire more people who speak English than people who do not.
Additionally, learning a second language increases reading and writing skills
inasmuch as it expands analysis capacity and it gives you a more comprehensive
view of the world giving you the ability to interpret diverse topics with
different points of view. As Sandra Lastra says in her article about
bilingualism “bilingual students acquire a metalinguistic consciousness faster
than monolinguals” and “bilingual students develop a greater awareness of the
needs of the interlocutor and more tolerance towards communications
difficulties” (p. 167-187). Furthermore, when people learn English they involve
themselves with other cultures, other traditions, other practices, acquiring a
different perspective of the world and increasing their knowledge of general
culture.
However, despite the
large amount of benefits of learning English, there are risks as well. Taking into
account that bilingual schools in Colombia (the ones that teach English) have a
curriculum in which 90% of the curses are taught in English, students are
exposed to that language eight (8) hours a day, 40 hours per week saving the
two or three classes that are taught in Spanish; additionally, they speak in
English during the recess while they are eating or playing. I had the opportunity
to interview Laura Duarte, a student from the CNG (Colegio Nueva Granada), she
told me that, as they used to be surrounded by English, her brain was configured
in that language and, when she entered to the university, she had problems when
speaking Spanish because she managed English better. That exposure can lead to
a loss of identity given that the school is transmitting to the students the
belief that English is more important than their mother tongue; therefore, they
grow up immersed in a different culture, knowing more about American history
than about history from their own country and with a linguistic interference
because they manage English better than their first language.
In
summary, the design of the curriculum of bilingual schools in Colombia is based
on the advantages of learning English, as it increases the opportunity of
getting a job for people who manage it, as it improves reading and writing
skills and it involve learning about other cultures and points of view.
Nevertheless, the disadvantages of being exposed to English in an intensive way
should be taken into account since it can lead to a loss of identity of
students and the linguistic interference would be higher than in a regular student.
Finally, people should analyze the consequences of thinking that English must
be a priority and start seeing the pros and cons of attending to a bilingual
school in a society as the Colombian one.
References
Casalins, L. H. (15 de Abril de 2010). Ser bilingüe,
el requisito para alcanzar el éxito laboral. Obtenido de El Heraldo de
Barranquilla:
http://www.mineducacion.gov.co/observatorio/1722/article-227645.html
Lastra, S. P. (16
de December de 2009). An Understanding of the Concept and Conditions of
Bilingualism: A Study in an EFL Setting. HOW, A Colombian Journal for
Teachers of English , págs. 167-187.
Nacional, M. d. (2014).
Programa nacional de Inglés 2015-2025. Bogotá.
