Bilingual schools in Colombia: double edged weapons

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.