Multilingualism, Multiculturalism, and Education Systems
Multilingualism and Multiculturalism
Multiculturalism is a way to respond to the cultural and religious diversity of a place, and multilingualism is the use of two or more languages, either by an individual speaker or by a community of speakers.
On the one hand, as Kenya Advisor (2011) says, the presence of several cultures makes the city multicultural. Similarly, immigrants and people from various tribes speak different languages, also making this area multilingual. Furthermore, each tribe has its own language, and because of that, the tribal language is one of the most used languages together with Swahili and English. Indeed, these latter languages are official languages in Kenya.
On the other hand, according to Eusko Jaurlaritza (2010), the Basque Country is a multicultural area because it includes people from all over the world, such as Muslims, Africans, and Chinese. Although these immigrants speak different languages, in the Basque Country the most spoken languages are Spanish, French, and Basque.
Consequently, taking into account these foreigners who use other languages, we can find different cultures and immigrant populations in both areas. However, the largest percentage of these foreign people is in Kenya because the Basque Country does not have as many foreign people as Kenya does. In addition, according to research, approximately 240,000 people immigrate to Kenya per year owing to the commercial and arts sectors, whilst 144,551 people immigrate to the Basque Country.
However, Kenya has the most tribes, with between 40 and 70, whereas the Basque Country does not have distinct tribes.
Good Practices
An example of good practice in the Basque Country can be the little library in the classroom, since literature is communication and using books is essential to work on that. This exercise is considered good practice because it follows some of the seven principles for good practice in undergraduate education, based on the authors Arthur Chickering and Zelda Gamson (1991), which include encouraging cooperation among students, as learning is enhanced when students collaborate and cooperate, and encouraging active learning.
The same principles are used in Kenya’s education system with their own good practices. Kenya is carrying out a project with the main aim of giving pupils the opportunity to publish their own ideas, helping them manage their time, and improving other skills. In this manner, pupils write articles on different topics such as interviews or student problems. Then, these articles are published in a school magazine. There are several reasons why this is considered a good practice:
- It helps students manage their time.
- It fosters cooperation among students.
- It allows students to work in a different way.
- It gives students the opportunity to show their talents.
- It improves student motivation.
Finally, it is important to say that Kenya’s education system is as developed as the Basque one according to good practices. Indeed, although these projects have the purpose of improving something, the skills developed are different. Consequently, both are good practices due to the different way they work. Moreover, several skills are developed, and most importantly, pupils are motivated.
Conclusion
To sum up, after having analyzed the Basque and Kenya’s education systems, several conclusions can be drawn. First of all, Kenya’s education system probably has fewer resources to provide quality education. By contrast, in the Basque Education System, it is likely easier to provide it.
In both contexts, foreigners influence multilingualism and multiculturalism, but in the case of the Basque Education System, it is a risk owing to the minority language. Year by year, it can be seen that Spanish is used more than Basque. This trend can be dangerous, potentially leading to its disappearance.
Regarding education systems, although the stages of both education systems are divided differently, both aim to achieve a high level and quality education.