Our third full day in Bogotá was spent listening and learning. In the morning, we asked questions of a panel of Colombian education officials. In the afternoon, we visited the U.S. embassy — more on that in a future post.
The morning panel consisted of a Ministry of Education official for bilingualism, a representative from the Colombian Fulbright Commission, and two English teachers. They spoke on a variety of topics related to education:
Priorities in Colombian education:
Previously, the government was focused on access to education — getting students in school and helping them stay in school.
In the past 8 years, the focus has moved to providing quality education.
Important new initiatives include bilingualism (Spanish and English), inclusion, and a national curriculum and standards.
Language education:
More than 65 indigenous languages are spoken in Colombia. They are all considered 'endangered.' There's a growing focus on indigenous languages, including training teachers in indigenous languages, providing teacher training to people from indigenous communities, and translating textbooks.
Primary schools often don't have a separate English teacher. The primary teachers are generalists who aren't specifically trained in English. Some may not be very proficient in English.
Low English proficiency of teachers is a major concern. Many English classes are 80% in Spanish due to teacher ability.
English as a Foreign Language has been a key part of Colombian education since 1996.
English isn't the only foreign language - about 100 schools in Colombia teach French.
Since nearly all immigrants are from South America, there's no need to teach Spanish as a second language. There is a small amount of Brazilian Portuguese near the border with Brazil. There are also small Lebanese communities on the northern coast, but they are fairly integrated and Spanish-speaking.
Rural education:
It's hard for Ministry of Education officials to access remote jungles to provide support.
Many in rural areas are moving to larger cities for opportunities.
Although there are national education standards, each community has the authority to decide what to teach.
Students with disabilities:
Inclusion is required by law as of 3 years ago. Special education is a very new field in Colombia.
Most schools lack training or support in special education.
Many schools rely on counselors to help support students with disabilities (in the absence of specially trained teachers).
There is hope that new technologies will help students who learn differently.
The experience of being a Colombian teacher:
"I always want to give the best to my students." One teacher spoke of her desire to always be improving for the sake of helping students. She prioritizes listening to students and loves using the arts in the classroom.
Teacher evaluation is to determine pay scale, not employment status - due to strong teacher's unions, it's almost impossible to be fired.
Teachers begin the school year with a week of meetings and planning time, plus some other teacher work days throughout the year.
To deal with challenging behaviors, teachers first talk with students, then consult with counselors, school administrators, and then parents. Police are involved when drugs are an issue.
Religion (Roman Catholicism) is a part of the curriculum, and teachers sometimes use prayer and spiritual messages to help students deal with personal trauma.
Teachers wanting help usually have to reach out on their own - not a lot of professional development opportunities.
"Parents think it's the responsibility of the teachers to educate." It can be very difficult to get parents to attend meetings.
Teachers look for ways to bring fun, technology, and project-based learning to the classroom (mostly on their own initiative, not at a school level).
"These people [teachers] are really changing things."
Private schools:
About 40 percent of students attend private schools.
Main cities have a higher percentage in private schools.
There is a perception of higher quality in private schools.
Public school teachers often send their children to private school.
Venezuelan Crisis
Colombia is receiving the most Venezuelans of any country (about 2 million migrants in the past 4 years).
There's a perception that Venezuelan students aren't prepared for the rigor of Colombian education.
Many Venezuelan immigrant students face issues related to poverty. Jobs aren't available, and many Venezuelans in Colombia work in the informal economy.
Colombian schools have a legal obligation to provide free education to all, including immigrants.
Colombia and Venezuela used to be part of the same country, and they consider each other "brothers."