The National Bilingual Programme in Colombia
Imposition or Opportunity?
Keywords:
bilingualism, english language proficiency, common european framework of reference, interculturalAbstract
The National Bilingual Programme, created by the Colombian Ministry of Education in 2004, offers all students in the county the possibility of becoming bilingual in English and Spanish as part of a vision of increased productivity in a globalised world. However, the language and education policies promoted within this framework tend to foreground the development of English at the expense of bilingual competence in Spanish and English. This bilingual policy has been strongly criticised by several Colombian academics with regard to what they consider as the imposition in the Colombian context of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, the disregard of local knowledge and expertise in informing glocal perspectives, as well as the exclusion of other types of bilingualism (in other foreign languages and in the indigenous and Creole languages spoken in the country). This article will present key aspects of the ongoing debate in Colombia. It will argue that the exclusive emphasis on one type of bilingualism does not do justice to the many different forms of bilingualism and multilingualism present in the country. However, in addition to being an imposition, we will maintain that the National Bilingual Programme could be harnessed as an opportunity to promote a more inclusive vision of bilingualism, alongside the focus on increased national prosperity.Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Author’s Warranty and Publication Agreement
The corresponding Author (hereafter Author) hereby warrants on behalf of all the authors (hereafter author(s)) that the manuscript here submitted to the journal Apples - Journal of Applied Language Studies is original and has not been published or submitted to publication elsewhere in part or in whole. The Author also commits not to send the manuscript for consideration elsewhere while the article is being processed by Apples - Journal of Applied Language Studies. The Author also warrants to have the full authority to submit the article. Apples will not accept a manuscript for which the copyright is held by a third party. The Author also warrants that the article contains no libelous or unlawful statements, and does not infringe on the rights of others. If the article contains any material protected by the copyright of others, the Author must deliver a written permission from the copyright owner(s) to reproduce such material in the article.
The Author also understands that:
1. The Author hereby agrees that the Publisher (the University of Jyväskylä, Centre for Applied Language Studies) has the right to publish, distribute, display and copy the article. When the manuscript is ready for publication, it will be published at Publisher's own expense and under the Publisher's name. The author(s) retains the copyright to the article.
2. The Author understands that no royalties or remuneration will be paid by the Publisher to the author(s) for the above-named submitted manuscript.
3. The Author is responsible for the content, originality and integrity of the article, and will indemnify and defend the Publisher against any claim, demand or recovery against the Publisher by reason of any violation of any proprietary right or copyright, or because of any libelous or scandalous matter contained in the manuscript.
4. The publisher will have the right to edit the work, provided that the meaning of the text is not materially altered.
5. The publisher has the right to end the service of the journal Apples - Journal of Applied Language Studies or alter it at any time and for any cause without liability to the author(s).
6. The Author understands that the article will be published openly on the Internet and, after publication, anyone has the right to copy, distribute and display the work freely as long as it is for nonprofit purposes, and the original author(s) is given credit and Apples - Journal of Applied Language Studies is named as the original publication.
7. This Agreement, whenever called upon to be construed, shall be governed under Finnish law.
8. The parties to this Agreement consent and agree that all possible disputes will be resolved primarily by negotiations. If needed all legal proceedings relating to the subject matter of this Agreement shall be maintained in Jyväskylä district court.
9. This Agreement cannot be modified except by a written instrument signed by the parties hereto.
10. This Agreement shall be binding upon the parties hereto, their heirs, successors, assigns and personal representatives.
11. If the Article was prepared jointly with other authors, you warrant that you have been authorized by all co-authors to sign this Agreement on their behalf, and to agree on their behalf the order of names in the publication of the Article. You shall notify us in writing of the names of any such co-authors.
If the article includes material from other copyrighted sources, the Author agrees to send the relevant permissions to Apples editors (address below).
If the article include illustrations in which a person can be recognized, the Author agrees to send the relevant permissions to Apples editors (address below).
Apples – Journal of Applied Language Studies
Centre for Applied Language Studies
P.O. Box 35
FIN-40014 University of Jyväskylä, Finland
Email apples@jyu.fi
