Showing papers in "International Review of Education in 2011"
201 citations
76 citations
TL;DR: The authors examines the tensions in the interactions in higher education between the traditional Chinese and the imposed Western modes of thinking and reveals the various extents to which layers of Chinese higher education have achieved any degree of success.
Abstract: The central purpose of China’s modern higher education has been to combine Chinese and Western elements at all levels including institutional arrangements, research methodologies, educational ideals and cultural spirit, a combination that brings together aspects of Chinese and Western philosophical heritages. This, however, has not been achieved. There is an urgent need for critical examination of the long-term consequences of grafting American academic practices onto a Chinese base. This article examines the tensions in the interactions in higher education between the traditional Chinese and the imposed Western modes of thinking. Borrowing a definition of the structure of culture, this paper reveals the various extents to which layers of Chinese higher education have achieved any degree of success. It finds that with a strong catch-up mentality, China’s contemporary higher education policies are responsive to Western influences. These are however only applied as panic-stricken and expedient band-aid remedies, rather than as strategies based on systematic understanding of cultural contexts. Accordingly, Chinese universities are uncritical towards the European-American model and its variants. This article warns that without an infusion of traditional education values, universities in China risk losing touch with their cultural contexts in their quest for world-class status.
65 citations
TL;DR: The authors focus on processes of borderless and ordering in contemporary education systems, suggesting that comparative educators would get much greater purchase on transformations currently under way, and suggest that comparative education would be the main intellectual project to understand how (different) education processes are re/produced within and across time, space and societies.
Abstract: One outcome of more than three decades of social and political transformation around the world, the result of processes broadly referred to as globalisation, has been the emergence of a complex (and at first glance, contradictory) conceptual language in the social sciences that has sought to grasp hold of these developments. Throughout the 1990s, theorists began to emphasise a world in motion, deploying concepts like “liquid modernity” (Zygmunt Bauman) to signal rapid and profound changes at work in the social structures, relations, and spatialities of societies (Neil Brenner) that were reconfiguring state-citizen relations (Saskia Sassen). Recently, however, researchers have concentrated on the study of borders and containers as a corrective to the preoccupation with mobility, arguing it is not possible to imagine a world which is only borderless and de-territorialised, because the basic ordering of social groups and societies requires categories and compartments. This paper focuses attention on processes of bordering and ordering in contemporary education systems, suggesting that comparative educators – whose main intellectual project is to understand how (different) education processes are re/produced within and across time, space and societies – would get much greater purchase on transformations currently under way.
61 citations
TL;DR: The focus of research on bi- or multilingual education has shifted from an initial emphasis on speakers' identities and their membership of homogenous imagined communities to an interest in learners' diverse and not usually clear-cut (multi)lingual repertoires as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: This overview focuses on Europe, a linguistically diverse region and moreover home to a number of minority languages. Over the past five decades, the focus of research on bi- or multilingual education has shifted from an initial emphasis on speakers’ identities and their membership of homogenous imagined communities to an interest in learners’ diverse and not usually clear-cut (multi)lingual repertoires. In the wake of regionalist movements emerging in the 1960s and an increase in transmigration and global mobility from the 1990s onwards, different models of practices and policies have developed in European bi- and multilingual education. The author discerns four different policy orientations and three types of structured language distribution practices. The challenge for policy-makers and schools is to choose carefully which of these models work best in their particular environments.
49 citations
TL;DR: This article conducted a controlled study in a very rural area of a developing country designed to examine the effect of language of instruction on educational outcomes, where children are taught to read first in the local language and are taught other key subjects via local language as well.
Abstract: In the modern era, the prevailing model of public education has been that of “one size fits all”, with private schooling being a small but notable exception. Language (of instruction) was generally viewed as a minor variable readily overcome by standard classroom instruction. As researchers have sharpened their focus on the reasons for educational failure, language has begun to emerge as a significant variable in producing gains in educational efficiency. This paper reports the intermediate result of a controlled study in a very rural area of a developing country designed to examine the effect of language of instruction on educational outcomes. In the experimental schools, children are taught to read first in the local language (via the local language) and are taught other key subjects via the local language as well. English is taught as a subject. Teachers in the control or standard schools continue the standard national practice of teaching all subjects in either English or Filipino, neither of which is spoken by children when they begin school. Year-end standardised testing was done in all subjects throughout grades one to three as a means of comparing the two programme methodologies.
48 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors provided an analysis of women's access to higher education in Iran, which has varied over the last 30 years, and their continuously limited participation in the job market.
Abstract: In contemporary Iran, women with higher education face both gender discrimination and an unfavourable economic system, one that is not conducive to employment-generation for women. This paper provides an analysis of women’s access to higher education in Iran, which has varied over the last 30 years, and their continuously limited participation in the job market. Based on qualitative field research, this paper includes the voices of individual women, discussing their experience of higher education and factors they think are contributing to their limited choice of employment. The paper suggests that while the recent trend in negotiating mehrieh (a nuptial gift which is payable by the groom to the bride) has been a strategy employed by Iranian women to overcome some of the discriminatory laws they are subject to, this trend cannot actually be explained by the fact that women’s employment opportunities are limited. The paper concludes by asserting that limited labour force participation for educated women is a consequence of both political economy and gender ideology.
41 citations
TL;DR: The authors argue for the reinsertion of "politics and power" into both the theory and practice of "lifelong learning" and "work" to promote greater inclusion and security for those whose livelihoods are most severely affected by globalisation.
Abstract: CONFINTEA VI took place against the background of an uneven and contradictory social and economic impact of globalisation. This impact registered globally and locally, in both the political North and South, drawing new lines of inequality between “core” and “periphery”, between insiders and outsiders of contemporary society. Financial turmoil in the world has exacerbated levels of poverty and insecurity. The question is how work-related education and conceptions of learning might promote greater inclusion and security for those whose livelihoods are most severely affected by globalisation. The Belem Framework for Action implicitly recognises that lifelong learning and work cannot be discussed outside broader socio-economic and political contexts. The authors of this article draw substantially on research from around the world and argue for the re-insertion of “politics and power” into both the theory and practice of “lifelong learning” and “work”.
40 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors document the new trend towards a first-language-first multilingual model in formal education in three former French colonies of West Africa, namely, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, and compare the sociolinguistic situations, the conditions of the development of multilingual education and the achievements of mother-to-medium education in all three countries.
Abstract: This paper documents the new trend towards a first-language-first multilingual model in formal education in three former French colonies of West Africa, namely Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. It compares the sociolinguistic situations, the conditions of the development of multilingual education and the achievements of mother-tongue-medium education in all three countries. The evidence is that, contrary to common discourse in francophonie, a strong first-language-first model in formal education is the best guarantee of a good mastery of French and, more generally, of quality education in francophone countries.
39 citations
TL;DR: The International Commission on Education for the Twenty-first Century, mandated by UNESCO in 1993, spelled out four foundational pillars of education: Learning to know, learning to do, Learning to live together and learning to be.
Abstract: The World Conferences on Education which took place in Jomtien in 1990 and Dakar in 2000 have contributed significantly to the mobilisation of the attention of policy-makers, the international community and civil society organisations with regard to the need of ensuring that the right to education for all people ‐ particularly language and cultural minorities ‐ is upheld both in developing and developed countries This special issue of the International Review of Education (IRE) focuses on quality multilingual education as a political and technical response to the educational requirements of learners Multilingual and multicultural competencies are viewed as a communicative proficiency which is necessary for people to fully function in the 21st century The International Commission on Education for the Twenty-first Century, mandated by UNESCO in 1993, spelled out four foundational pillars of education, namely Learning to know, learning to do, learning to live together and learning to be These should guide educational reforms that aim at facilitating profound qualitative changes in the lives of learners (children, youth and adults), be it at local, national or global levels (Delors et al 1996, p 22; Carneiro 2011) Therefore quality education encompasses the acquisition and application of competences (Rychen and Salganik 2003), the cultivation and use of positive values and attitudes by all learners Learning to learn, which is part of learning to know, is a critical
38 citations
TL;DR: In the aftermath of 9/11, the rift between Western and Arab cultures has deepened, and there is a patent need for cultural bridges to be built as mentioned in this paper, and the government of Saudi Arabia has, by increasing funding for higher education through grants and scholarships, enabled Saudi students to study at overseas universities.
Abstract: Globalisation is often thought to advocate for a single set of beliefs and customs and for a rejection of the need to protect regional cultures and traditions. In the aftermath of 9/11, the rift between Western and Arab cultures has deepened, and there is a patent need for cultural bridges to be built. The government of Saudi Arabia has, by increasing funding for higher education through grants and scholarships, enabled Saudi students to study at overseas universities. A number of non-Saudi students are also enrolled at Saudi Arabian universities. After a brief introduction to the cultural and educational history of the Arab region and Saudi identity, this article turns to contemporary higher education in Saudi Arabia. It introduces the King Abdullah Scholarship Programme and then goes on to present detailed enrolment data for 2006–2009, demonstrating trends and policy changes and identifying patterns in student mobility.
TL;DR: In this article, the International Review of Education (IRE) review was published in 2011 and the definite version is available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11159-011-9188-x
Abstract: This review was published in the International Review of Education [© 2011 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.] and the definite version is available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11159-011-9188-x The review website is at: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11159-011-9188-x
TL;DR: In this article, the past and present status of women and gender-educational inequality in the Arab world with particular reference to Egypt and Tunisia, prior to and post colonialism are examined.
Abstract: One aspect of the call for democracy in the recent Arab region uprisings is the issue of women’s rights and gender equality. Three cultural and ideological forces have continued to shape the gender discourse in Arab Muslim-majority societies. They are: “Islamic” teaching and local traditions concerning women’s roles in a given society; Western, European colonial perception of women’s rights; and finally national gender-related policy reforms. This paper examines the past and present status of women and gender-educational inequality in the Arab world with particular reference to Egypt and Tunisia, prior to and post colonialism. Special attention is given to colonial legacy and its influence on gender and education; to current gender practices in the social sphere with a focus on women’s modesty (hijab); to international policies and national responses with regard to women’s rights and finally to female participation in pre-university and higher education. These issues incorporate a discussion of cultural and religious constraints. The paper demonstrates similarities and differences between Egypt’s and Tunisia’s reform policies towards gender parity. It highlights the confrontation of conservative versus liberal ideologies that occurred in each country with the implementation of its gender-related reform policy.
TL;DR: Hattie et al. as mentioned in this paper presented the effect sizes in a graphical barometer and convincingly argued that only effect sizes higher than 0.4 are in the so-called zone of desired effects (in other words, are worth the effort).
Abstract: This book by John Hattie – Professor of Education at the University of Auckland – is the culmination of more than a decade of research during which he and his team have set out to summarise and synthesise the empirical research on the effects of various educational influences and interventions on student achievement. Probably due to the huge scope of this project – comprising 800 meta-analyses, more than 50,000 smaller studies and more than 80 million pupils – this study has been widely acclaimed. According to a review in the Times Educational Supplement, Hattie’s work ‘‘reveals teaching’s Holy Grail’’. Hattie starts from the observation that in education ‘‘everything seems to work’’, as educational interventions of almost any kind seem to have a positive effect on student achievement. He then proposes to move beyond ‘‘everything goes’’, towards the development of a barometer of ‘‘what works best’’. To this end he applies the tools of meta-analysis to a huge body of empirical research and calculates effect sizes (denoted d) for 138 influences in the following domains: student, home, school, teacher, curricula and teaching approaches. Hattie neatly presents the effect sizes in a graphical barometer and convincingly argues that only effect sizes higher than 0.4 are in the so-called zone of desired effects (in other words, are worth the effort). Prior to presenting the barometers and effect size rankings, Hattie develops his visible learning story, which is summarised in the following quote: ‘‘Visible teaching and learning occurs when learning is the explicit goal, when it is appropriately challenging, when the teacher and student both seek to ascertain whether and to what degree the challenging goal is attained, when there is deliberate practice aimed at attaining mastery of the goal, when there is feedback given and sought, and when there are active, passionate and engaging people participating in the act of learning’’ (p. 22). The visible learning story is illustrated using the example of outdoor training. An instructor teaching rock-climbing will have
TL;DR: In this article, the authors compare and contrast the cases of Basque and Frisian, comparing and contrasting their similarities and differences in terms of their ability to learn minority languages.
Abstract: Over the last three decades, regional minority languages in Europe have regained increased recognition and support. Their revitalisation is partly due to their being taught in schools. Multilingualism has special characteristics for speakers of minority languages and it poses unique challenges for learning minority languages. This article looks at the cases of Basque and Frisian, comparing and contrasting their similarities and differences. The educational system in the Basque Autonomous Community underwent an important transformation, starting in 1979 from a situation where less than 5 per cent of all teachers were capable of teaching through Basque. Today this figure has changed to more than 80 per cent. An innovative approach was chosen for teaching the minority language, Basque, alongside the dominant language, Spanish, and the international language, English. The outcome is a substantial increase in the proficiency in the minority language among the younger age groups. The decline of the minority language has thus been successfully reversed and one of the major challenges now is to uphold a sustainable educational system. By contrast, the Frisian language has fared less well in the Netherlands, where developments over the last 30 years have been much slower and the results more modest. Here policy-making for education and for language is caught in a continuous debate between a weak provincial level and a powerful central state level. Overall, multilingualism as a resource for individuals is valued for “bigger” languages such as English, French and German, but not for a “small” language such as Frisian. Nevertheless, a few trilingual experiments have been carried out in some schools in Friesland in teaching Frisian, Dutch and English. These experiments may also be instructive for other cases of minority languages of a “moderate strength”. In the cases of both Basque and Frisian multilingualism is generally perceived as an important resource.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors study the lives of some newly-arrived students of different racial, linguistic and religious backgrounds as they confront the process of immigration and therefore personal and social displacement within the context of a Toronto inner-city high school.
Abstract: The objective of this research study is to offer a glimpse into the lives of some newly-arrived students of different racial, linguistic and religious backgrounds as they confront the process of immigration and therefore personal and social displacement within the context of a Toronto inner-city high school. These students carry with them hidden but enduring scars that influence all aspects of their educational lives. In many cases their experience is steeped in trauma. Using auto-ethnographic methodology, this research is devoted to giving voice to these students who inhabit a space filled with suffering and loss but also resilience and cautious hope. If we really care about these vulnerable students in our classrooms, we must rethink and reshape our understanding of teaching and learning that is more fundamentally linked to the lived experiences of students coming from places of war and other oppressions. These issues are crucial for the future of nation-building and citizenship education in pluralistic Western societies such as Canada, both in and out of school.
TL;DR: In this article, the grass-root mother tongue education in Cameroon is discussed and the inter-community self-help initiative as a local response framework is presented. But, the authors do not consider the impact of these initiatives on the quality and accessibility of education.
Abstract: Advocating mother tongue education implies recognising the centrality of linguistic and cultural diversity in quality and accessible education planning and delivery. In minority linguistic settings, this need becomes particularly urgent. Decades of exclusive promotion of foreign languages have rendered the educational system incapable of guaranteeing maximum quality, accessibility and equity. Also, due to long periods of marginalisation and disempowerment, most indigenous communities are unable to undertake viable self-reliant educational initiatives. As a result, planning and management of education is not adapted to the needs and realities of target populations. What such an educational approach has succeeded in achieving is to cultivate a culture of near-total dependence and consumerism. In minority language situations where mother tongue education is still primarily in the hands of private institutions and individuals, successful planning also means influencing the perceptions and attitudes of indigenous people and systematically integrating them into the educational process. This paper discusses grass-roots mother tongue education in Cameroon. It focuses on the inter-community self-help initiative as a local response framework and argues that this initiative is a strong indication of the desire of communities to learn and promote learning in their own languages.
TL;DR: Adesope et al. as discussed by the authors found that a significant percentage of the African population speaks more than one local language and that many of the languages are closely related and are mutually intelligible, so the language situation in many countries is less complex than it seems to outsiders.
Abstract: Being involved in language of instruction issues and in technical assistance, I found this book highly relevant and exciting Seemingly, a significant percentage of the African population speaks more than one local language Furthermore, many of the languages are closely related and are mutually intelligible, so the language situation in many countries is less complex than it seems to outsiders As the book states, African multilingualism is most definitely an advantage Besides binding people into multiple communities, multilingualism has cognitive benefits (Adesope et al 2010) Official ‘‘colonial’’ languages tend to have complex spelling systems, but African languages are consistently spelled and ideal for teaching literacy to children and adults The book also offers explanations about other issues that outsiders do not easily understand, such as the poor command of the official languages The authors clarify that multiple languages are used alongside official languages Teachers using English (or French or Portuguese) in class commonly code-switch into various languages, so students may not ever have heard the ‘‘pure’’ language being spoken This may account for the limited understanding of English, for example, that even advanced students may have The book would have been much more compelling if the interesting information that it presents were accompanied by some data The contributors focus on sociological and personal perspectives, and they are somewhat vague For example, how should teachers be assigned given multilingualism? What to do with parents who insist that their children get educated in official languages? No clear policy implications are given regarding what governments should do given the linguistic maps of their countries Also the spelling and script issues could be laid out more specifically Finally, the book only discusses Anglophone and Lusophone countries, with little reference to Francophone Africa
TL;DR: Papua New Guinea (PNG) is the most linguistically diverse country in the world as mentioned in this paper, and its roughly six million people speak over 800 distinct languages, but despite this diversity, in 1995 the Papua New Guinean government established a mother tongue-based bilingual education programme in which community languages are taught as a subject and used for instruction in the first three years of formal education.
Abstract: Papua New Guinea (PNG), an independent state in the southwest Pacific, is the most linguistically diverse country in the world. Its roughly six million people speak over 800 distinct languages. In spite of this diversity, in 1995 the Papua New Guinean government established a mother tongue-based bilingual education programme in which community languages are taught as a subject and used for instruction in the first three years of formal education. English is introduced as a subject in the third year of school and becomes one of the languages of instruction, with the community language, in early primary. In grades seven and eight, teachers use only English for instruction, although community languages can still be used informally. By the early 2000s, over 400 languages were being used in PNG’s formal education system. This paper describes the background to PNG’s bilingual education programme, then provides an overview of its main features and the positive outcomes as well as the problems encountered since it was initiated 15 years ago.
TL;DR: A survey of 30 private school principals, middle managers and teachers was administered online to obtain their views on school policies, problems, successes, concerns and quality ranking as discussed by the authors, showing that a great deal of work has been done to introduce a language of instruction and a third language as decreed by the Ministry of Education.
Abstract: This paper reports on the multilingual background, language education policies and practices in Lebanon. Specifically, it shows how the multilingual make-up in the country is translated into language policies in schools. A survey of 30 private school principals, middle managers and teachers was administered online to obtain their views on school policies, problems, successes, concerns and quality ranking. Results showed that a great deal of work has been done to introduce a language of instruction and a third language as decreed by the Ministry of Education and at the same time keep the national language, Arabic, alive. The main concerns of the participants were the need for teacher training programmes and resources. Although the research implies that the school systems, in keeping up with this multilingual milieu, could be contributing to the death of the national language as well as producing students who are not fluent in any of the languages, there continues to be an attempt to keep alive a quality multilingual educational context which contributes to a cohesive society.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present the concept and practice of adult education as a key issue for Brazil and other Latin American countries, both for formal and non-formal education in the public and private sectors.
Abstract: This article presents the concept and practice of adult education as a key issue for Brazil and other Latin American countries, both for formal and non-formal education in the public and private sectors. It includes citizen education focused on democratisation of society and sustainable development. The concept is pluralist and ideological as well as technical. All along the history of contemporary education it is essential to highlight the importance of the CONFINTEA conferences for the construction of an expanded vision of this concept. Adult education is understood as a human right. The right to education does not end when a person has reached the so-called “proper” age; it continues to be a right for the duration of everyone’s entire life. This article explores Paulo Freire’s contribution, particularly the methodology of MOVA (Youth and Adult Literacy Movement). It also presents the ecopedagogic perspective, which was inspired by Paulo Freire’s legacy. Finally, this article stresses the need to support a long-term policy for adult education, following the recommendations of the Civil Society International Forum (FISC) and CONFINTEA VI, both held in Belem, Brazil, in 2009.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present a comprehensive overview of education in Asia in the geographical space of Asia; it is actually a collection of mostly analytical texts, which of course do provide a great deal of historical, social and cultural information.
Abstract: One can only guess why the editor and his seven co-editors decided to call this thick and heavy volume a ‘‘handbook’’. Moreover, from the point of view of its content this ‘‘handbook’’ contradicts all standard dictionary definitions of such a format. This is not a comprehensive overview of the main information concerning education in the geographical space of Asia; it is actually a collection of mostly analytical texts, which of course do provide a great deal of historical, social and cultural information. However, most of the chapters in the book primarily emphasise insights into different subject matters. Nonetheless, one must acknowledge that so far, despite the large number of publications on one or the other aspect of education in Asia, or on education in particular Asian countries, such ambitious attempts to offer a relatively comprehensive account of education in Asia in a clearly defined framework have been rather rare, if they existed at all. Therefore, this does provide some justification for categorising this volume as a ‘‘handbook’’. Considering the diversity of the continent (excluding its Russian part), the editors obviously decided that a cultural perspective can provide a unified framework for presenting education in view of recent global changes that have elevated Asia’s importance for the world and in the world. Many potential readers who disagree with, or at least feel uncomfortable with, Samuel Huntington’s The clash of civilizations will find the segmentation of Asia into five main ‘‘civilizations’’ somewhat contentious. However, even such readers will have to admit that the main editor’s aim to ‘‘maximize the comprehensiveness of the representation of the diversity in Asian education systems’’ (p. ix) substantiates such a division of the continent. Sinic, Japanese, Islamic, Buddhist and Hindu education are thus presented in separate parts of the book in a number of chapters each. Another editorial methodological aspect touches on problems of a view that could be directed, culturally speaking, from outside or inside. This problem was addressed by
TL;DR: In this article, the authors address the dilemma of language in education in African countries with particular reference to Burundi African languages are still marginalised by colonial languages such as French and English Looking at other African countries in general and at the case in detail, an analysis is made of the adopted policies aimed at promoting the use of the mother tongue as a basis for knowledge acquisition and cultural integration.
Abstract: This paper addresses the dilemma of language in education in African countries with particular reference to Burundi African languages are still marginalised by colonial languages such as French and English Looking at other African countries in general and at the case of Burundi in detail, an analysis is made of the adopted policies aimed at promoting the use of the mother tongue as a basis for knowledge acquisition and cultural integration Burundi has gone through a series of educational reforms both before and after gaining independence in 1962, with French and Kirundi competing as curricular teaching languages After the integration of Burundi into the East African Community in July 2007, English and Kiswahili were added to the curriculum, complicating education policies This article places particular emphasis on the contextual challenges that tend to impair the full implementation of the adopted policy reforms The paper concludes by advocating for a multilingual approach in which the indigenous mother tongue serves as the basis for the acquisition of other languages in the curriculum
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors question whether education refers to capacity-building and strengthening the potential of marginalised students' language and culture; or whether it is only geared towards sustaining English-language ascendancy and technical virtuosity.
Abstract: This paper questions notions of individualism underpinning technocratic approaches to education that marginalise indigenous and migrant peoples’ knowledges in tertiary education. Focusing on New Zealand (Aotearoa) with its colonial and immigrant history, its Māori and Pacific Islander citizens, the authors ask whether education, as its process is being communicated there, leaves indigenous and migrant people vulnerable and marginalised in the dominant, English-speaking, New Zealand European (Pākehā) mainstream society. The question is whether education refers to capacity-building and strengthening the potential of marginalised students’ language and culture; or whether it is only geared towards sustaining English-language ascendancy and technical virtuosity. Taking on board the cultural heritage of Pacific Islanders (Pasifika) resident in New Zealand, a new teacher training diploma was introduced by the Auckland University of Technology in 2004. Both authors are involved in the panel meetings (Fono) where the papers presented during the diploma course are evaluated.
TL;DR: The Shiyeyi Language Project as discussed by the authors advocates for a multicultural model of education where children learn in their mother tongue and about their local culture at an early stage, then add the national language, and eventually an international language as medium of instruction.
Abstract: Multicultural education respects cultural differences and affirms pluralism which students, their communities and teachers bring to the learning process. It is founded on the belief that a school curriculum which promotes the ideals of freedom, justice, equality, equity and human dignity is most likely to result in high academic achievement and quality education. In Botswana, English is the official language and medium of instruction and Setswana is the national lingua franca which is used for formal occasions in the villages and other informal settings. Any other languages spoken by unrecognised tribes are banned from use in schools or the media, including minority languages taught before independence in 1966, This paper describes the Shiyeyi Language Project, initiated by the Wayeyi tribe, which advocates for a multicultural model of education where children learn in their mother tongue and about their local culture at an early stage, then add the national language, and eventually an international language as medium of instruction. The project operates within an unfriendly political and legal context, but has achieved some results. Continued efforts, especially as supported by similar language projects, have the potential to change the situation in Botswana.
TL;DR: In this article, a discussion of the implications of CONFINTEA VI having been organised in Brazil and the role of social movements challenging neoliberalism is presented. And the authors highlight the dilemmas faced by UNESCO in trying to create a democratic and efficient process of policy-making and institutional service in adult education in the nation-states.
Abstract: This article begins with a discussion of the implications of CONFINTEA VI having been organised in Brazil – the author uses the term “Brazilian effect” – and the role of social movements challenging neoliberalism. Next, drawing from the experience of Latin America, this paper analyses the counter-hegemonic practice of the new social movements. The concluding section highlights the dilemmas faced by UNESCO in trying to create a democratic and efficient process of policy-making and institutional service in adult education in the nation-states. Furthermore, the proposal of popular education portrayed by the new social movements is described as a tool for empowerment. CONFINTEA VI’s recommendation of moving from rhetoric to action in adult education programmes, practices and policies demands that we take the agendas of the new social movements in the post-neoliberalism era seriously.
TL;DR: In 2000, a project was started in Hamburg, aiming to overcome this educational gap and involving the creation of bilingual schools for some of the largest migrant languages as discussed by the authors, which were evaluated by the University of Hamburg.
Abstract: Although Germany has experienced net in-migration for the past five decades, this fact has only recently been officially acknowledged. Furthermore, Germany is marked by a general monolingual self-concept very much attached to the idea of a nation-state with one homogeneous language. However, in large urban areas of Germany about 35 per cent of the population has a migration background, as has almost every second child enrolling in primary school. Hence the country is marked by this dichotomy between a monolingual policy discourse and a multilingual society, manifested in everyday life and, as a consequence, in educational institutions. The fact is that this political attitude towards Germany’s own migration history and migrants has led to an educational gap between students with a migration background and their monolingual peers. In 2000, a project was started in Hamburg, aiming to overcome this educational gap and involving the creation of bilingual schools for some of the largest migrant languages. Bilingual classes were thus set up for the following language combinations: German-Portuguese, German-Italian, German-Spanish and German-Turkish, and were evaluated by the University of Hamburg. This paper reports on the model used and the specific school outcomes of the students attending these classes.