THE BILINGUAL EDUCATION PROGRAMME OF COLOMBIA (2004-2019)
1. Context: The interest for the concept of “Bilingualism” is developed two decades ago due to the political constitution (1991) that recognize to Colombia as a multilingual and plurilingual nation, besides to an economical opening politic. It Emerges because of the importance that takes a foreign language, particularly the English and it´s introduced as an strategy of the English education in Colombia and as an strategy of civic competitiveness.
2. Goals: To have citizen able to communicate in English with international standards.
3. Significant dates:
1996: Stars in Cali with the name “Bilingual education”
1997: The Colombian Minister of Education (MEN) Spanish abbreviation, announce the beginning of “The Bilingual Education Programme”
2004: After years of several failures (MEN) retake this initiative. In this year is adopted the Common European Framework as a reference for its strength and effectiveness in education.
2006: Competency standards are published.
2009: In June of this year 11.064 teachers were evaluated and just a 10% obtain the level B2 or higher and the rest 90% stayed below to the B2 level according to the Common European Framework.
4. Guidelines: It has three fundamental action lines such as:
English standards definition and diffusion for basic and middle levels: Published in 2006 and socialized from March of 2007 until June 2009.
Definition of a strength and coherent evaluation system: Establish in 2007 the English component to ICFES and ECAES test according to Common European Framework.
Definition and development for training programs: In June of 2009, 5.620 teachers have been trained; the educational centers of training, work and human development register its programs to 3870 order in order to guarantee the minimal quality conditions.
Additional comments: The programme has international cooperation of England and United States of America. Higher education since 2007 establishes a strength evaluation system for ECAES test, the (MEN) impulse the development of models, methodology and language in order to promote the improvement of English licentiate programs across the nation.
Political statements: Educational general law (115 0f 1994), article 21 that dispose that all educational establishment have to offer to its students the learning of a foreign language since basic level.
Pablo Aristizabal
Tatiana Guzmán
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