The world of education is very interested in ideas around diversity, equity, inclusion, and decolonizing the curriculum right now and International education is no exception.
If diversity means including other viewpoints and perspectives, and representation from groups other than the majority, then this surely includes linguistic diversity as well. If we are striving for educational equity, then we need to be considering equitable access to learning and assessment for our language learner students as a priority. If inclusion is a goal we are working towards, then surely we should be considering inclusive language practices. And surely there is no better route to decolonising the curricula of international schools than to set local and student languages in parity alongside the colonial language that is English.
Article 30 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child states that children have ‘the right to enjoy their own culture, practice their own religion and use their own language’, yet many children are denied the right to use their own language, or are even punished for using their own language in their schools. This is often framed from a position of privilege; children in international schools are by and large from educated and well-off families and are considered ‘lucky’ to have the opportunity to go to school in English. When we frame something through this lens, we neglect to consider what children may be sacrificing for this opportunity, which for some (potentially many) is fluency and literacy in their own language.
True inclusion happens when children are given the support they need to understand and access learning. The most straightforward route to ensuring diversity, equity, and inclusion for languages in our schools is to develop a multilingual approach to learning, where languages are used as resources to enhance learning opportunities for all students.