Bilingualism has become a big focus for the Colombian education system in recent years. The government is interested in promoting it due to the job opportunities and new industries that are available when its citizens know another language. My organization, the Peace Corps, was asked to help with this goal. As a T.E.F.L. (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) volunteer, my main focus here in Colombia is to help provide support and opportunities for students interested in learning English.
Because I’m a T.E.F.L. volunteer, the primary community need I tried to learn about was how English education is viewed in my community. I found that there is a lot of interest in learning English, which I will discuss more in a moment, but there weren’t many opportunities to learn and practice the language. Even among those who live in town, many of the people proficient in English would move out of town to pursue work opportunities. Interestingly, I found that the majority of people with whom I talked wanted to continue living in the area. However, due to a lack of jobs, especially any that were unrelated to farming, many had to move to cities.
Another disadvantage in learning English is found in the school system.
