bilingual education in england

8/10/2019 Bilingual Education in England

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Bilingual education in England

Bilingualism in England is a very different issue from current debates in Wales, Ireland and

Scotland. In the three Celtic countries. Bilingualism usually, but not exclusively, concerns

protection and restoration of the indigenous minority language. In England bilingualism refers to

the great number of ethnic minorities who maintain their mother tongue in the home, temple,

mosque, church or by voluntary education.

The minority languages of England include Arabic. Bengali, Can-toncsc. Gujerati, Greek. Hindi.

Italian. Punjabi. Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Turkish, Ukrainian and Urdu (Linguistic Minorities

Project, 1984. I985). The bilingualism which the presence of these languages invokes is found in

school, work, religious affiliation, culture and mass media. The issues of bilingualism and bilingual

education in England tend to have more in common with the USA than with the Celtic nations

nearby.

Within Wales. Ireland and Scotland it is perhaps indifference rather than antagonism that

characterizes the viewpoint of large numbers of inhabitants towards the heritage language. In

England, while it is wrong to generalize and stereotype, there appears to be comparatively moreantagonism, prejudice and distrust of bilingualism and bilingual education.

This may stem in part from the nineteenth-century British imperialistic and colonialist viewpoint

which regarded English as a superior language (Brook, 1980). Immigration into Britain in the period

following World War I has instigated a growing debate about the place of these minority

languages in British society in general, and within schools in particular.

The debate, long and well rehearsed in the USA and parts of Europe is being re-invented in

England. One element in the debate about bilingual education concerns the historical, economic

and educational dominance of the English language.

Martin-Jones (1984:426-7) summarizes the situation well:

“English is the majority language not only in terms of numbers of speakers and users, but, more

importantly, in terms of legitimized power and control. The relationship between English and

many minority languages in Britain, new and old, is embedded in a long history of colonization,

with English as the language of rule. In Britain in the 19805, English remains the dominant

language of literacy in education, in the media, in the workplace. in government and in all aspects

of British life. The ability to read and write Standard English is regarded as a crucial measure of

educational performance, and as such it also serves as a means of discrimination in the labour

market. Minority languages and literacies only have a legitimized place within minority institutions

such as the home. The temple, church, mosque or the local community association. They also have

a place within the marginalized sectors of the economy such as the ‘rag' trade or in small familybusinesses: the corner shop or the fast food business”.

The attitude to minority languages in education in England has resultingly been assimilationist and

transitionalist. The response to increasing linguistic diversity since the 195os was to increase

provision for the teaching of English as a second language (Viv Edwards, 1984). A Government

pamphlet English for Immigrants (Ministry for Education, 1963) urged separate provision

(withdrawal) of non-English speaking children within a school for intensive English language



teaching. Concern was often expressed by parents and politicians that “normal” classes were

being disrupted by the presence of a number of non-English-speaking pupils. Dispersal policies

were developed with the notion that “the integration of the immigrants is more easily achieved, if

the proportion of immigrant children in a school is not allowed to rise too high" (HMSO,1965,para.

42).

BILINGUAL EDUCATION IN BRITAIN AND IRELAND 61

In the last two decades, policy and philosophy. provision and practice have begun to project a

slightly more pluralistic position. Recent reports and research as well as recent active measures

and changes in classroom practice suggest a small movement towards a more multilingual and

multicultural society. The evidence for this movement will now be considered.

However, the rhetoric, the views of progressive educationalists and researchers tend to hide the

probability that amongst the populace. rejection and antipathy to minority languages in England

has changed little.

The white majority viewpoint is likely still to be assimilationist and antagonistic to bilingual

education. The pluralist movement is some light-years ahead of the public mind. This is not to

argue that one viewpoint is right and the other wrong. As is examined in Chapter 4 when

considering the USA, a variety of ideologies exist with different political, cultural and social

assumptions.

There are three types of evidence suggesting that, in the last 20 years new directions in

bilingualism and bilingual education have emerged: reports, research and provision. Each of these

will now be considered in turn.

Reports

The Bullock Report, A Language for Life (1975), was a milestone in an official viewpoint on minority

languages. “No child should be expected to cast off the language and culture of the home as he

crosses the school threshold and the curriculum should reflect those aspects of his life" (paragraph

20.5). “Every school with pupils whose original language is not English should adopt a positive

attitude to their bilingualism and wherever possible help maintain and deepen their knowledge of

their mother tongue" (paragraph 20.17). These two quotations illustrate a new and seemingly

enlightened viewpoint of the intelligentsia.

In the same year, 1975. a Draft Directive from the Council of European Communities (EEC)

requested Member States to teach within the school curriculum, the mother tongue and culture of

the country of origin of EEC migrant workers. The Directive was passed in July 1977, allowing such

education to be in accordance with national circumstances and legal systems. When the British

Government relayed the Directive to local education authorities in July 1981,'it became translated

into exploring ways in which mother tongue teaching might be provided. Such provision could be

during or outside school hours, but tuition was not to be considered as a legal right of an

individual.

62 KEY ISSUES IN BILINGUALISM AND BILINGUAL EDUCATION



In terms of Report, the most recent more important and most considered is Education for All

(1985). popularly termed the Swann Report. A Committee was established in March 1979 initially

to report on West Indian children in school who were seen to be relatively less successful and

subsequently to report on the educational needs and attainments of children from ethnic minority

groups. The Report carefully considers the type of multiracial society that should not be and

should be fostered. Two notions are rejected and one is promoted. The traditional policy ofassimilation is rejected. In varying degrees and in differing respects, minorities should maintain

their distinctive nature. A policy of separatism is also rejected. A British society based on separate

education. for example, is seen as a contradiction in terms. The essence of society is seen as a

cohesive unity where shared experience and shared commitment to central values (e.g. justice and

the right of dissent) is paramount.

The Swann Report (1985) decided in favour of the aim of a pluralist multiracial society. Ethnic

minorities within this philosophy should be allowed and at times assisted, to maintain their own

language and culture.

If a pluralist society is not fostered at every level. The genuine risk of a fragmented society along

ethnic lines is considered possible. Threatening the stability and cohesion of British society.

Schools where there are no ethnic minority pupils are equally encouraged to teach about the

multicultural nature of British society. In one survey, schools almost without exception saw

multicultural education as remote or irrelevant to their needs and responsibilities. The Report sees

the necessity of changing the majority view that multicultural education is for "them" and not

“us”.

When the Swann Report (1985) considered a multilingual society as different from a multiracial

society, there is evidence of possible inconsistency in the high value given to minority languages

and the low value given to the place of such languages in the educational system. The Report calls

for the equal acceptance of all minority languages. Mother tongues are perceived as a key factor in

maintaining a community's identity and culture. Such linguistic diversity is also seen as an asset

and resource for a school. From the pluralist viewpoint and the equality of languages viewpoint

taken in the Report. a strong multilingual educational policy might have been expected. This does

not appear to be the case. However, initially, there are elements of educational policy that do

appear to follow logically from the stance taken. The Report is against separate language centres

for minority groups to learn English. Such separatism would be assimilationist in that a child learns

English in order to take his or her place in an unchanged mainstream school. Separate language

provision is seen as discriminatory in outcome rather than intent. (63) A similar case is made

against withdrawal systems within a school. Instead, learning English as a second but not foreign

language is seen as a necessary and integrated provision within the mainstream school.

In the role given to minority languages within mainstream education there is a surprise. In

essence. bilingual education is rejected. A distinction is made between three different possible

aims with regard to minority languages. Bilingual education is perceived as using the mother

tongue as a medium of instruction; mother-tongue maintenance is regarded as developing pupils‘

fluency in their own language; mother-tongue teaching is seen as the teaching of community

languages as part of a modern language curriculum (e.g. in a similar way that French and German

are taught in the secondary school). Bilingual education is rejected as the disadvantages are seen



to be more numerous than the advantages. Mother tongue maintenance is not seen to be a school

aim. Mainstream schools are not expected to take over the role of communities themselves in

continuing their ethnic languages. The third aim, mother-tongue teaching, is seen as worth

developing, with ethnic languages becoming a small part of the larger curriculum. Hence such

languages may become a subject within the curriculum but not a medium in teaching the

curriculum.

Despite being home languages. They should be given the same status as foreign languages in the

curriculum.

The recommendations of the Swarm Report (1985) include the view that minority languages

should be fostered, but not incorporated in any general way into the normal school curriculum.

Fostering translates into allowing the community to use school premises, and a “bilingual

resource" in the primary school classroom lveing available to support pupils with little or no

fluency in English.

The Swann Report (1985) is a def inite advance in “official” thinking about the nature of a

multiracial and multicultural society in Britain. It contains a wealth of data and argument that addsvery considerably to the minority language debate in England. With regard to bilingual education,

it may appear relatively unenlightened. What is missing is a world-wide comparative perspective

that evaluates traditions, initiatives, the evolution of policy and practice in countries such as

Australia. Canada. the USA and Wales. If such a comparative stance had been taken on board,

more positive attitudes to bilingual education amongst English educationalists might have

emerged.

Yet at the same time, the Swarm Report (1985) represents a middle way a traditional English

compromise. This is evident in the reactions to the Report which often attacked the

recommendations from wholly (64) opposite points of view. For some, the Report fails to

concentrate on the perceived necessity of assimilating the variety of ethnic groups into anintegrated, harmonious, unified and cohesive British society. For others, the Report fails to

consider ethnic needs, the benefits of pluralism and multiculturalism and the advantages of

bilingualism over monolingualism.

A two-directional perspective on Swarm (1985) is evident in the response of the National Council

for Mother Tongue Teaching (1985) and a retort by Vanikar & Dalal (1986). The National Council

for Mother Tongue Teaching criticizes the Swann Report for its over-emphasis on the English

language and British identity, its dismissal of bilingual education and the implication that ethnic

minority languages and cultures are divisive. Vanikar & Dalal’s reply is that children in Britain need

a shared identity, that bilingual education in England will “serve to accentuate the heterogeneous

features of various sub-groups" (p. 424). will stop ethnic minority children from becomingmulticultural as they will only taste English and their own ethnic culture, will hinder the

development of English skills needed for academic and professional advancement, will give undue

prominence to the languages of predominant groups among ethnic minorities and will lead away

from a democratic society. As will be examined in Chapter 4 when considering the criticisms of

USA bilingual education, the issues are complex and controversial, political and polemical. Swann

(1985) tends, however, to provide a thoughtful, carefully balanced and well defended perspective,

though of necessity. valued and contentious.



Research

Research specifically on various forms of bilingual education in England is sadly minimal. The type

of research that has been successfully carried out in Canada and the USA, in particular on the role

of two languages in education, has yet to flow in England. The major research areas have included

surveys of the variety of languages and dialects in English schools, the possible underachievement

of minority groups; particularly West Indian pupils, and curriculum development projects to

further community languages and cultures. Thus research in London by Rosen & Burgess (1980)

and by the Inner London Education Authority (ILEA) (1979, 1982) and the Linguistic Minorities

Project (1985) in London and various areas of England provides important surveys of the hitherto

undocumented extent of bilingualism in parts of England. Tansley Craft (1984) surveyed mother

tongue teaching and support for primary age pupils in England and Wales, documenting mother

tongue policies within local education authorities and their support for community.

Key Issues in Bilingualism and Bilingual EducationEscrito por Colin Baker Páginas 59-61.

bilingual education in england

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