A Challenge to Ecuadorian Bilingual Intercultural Education

The Ecuadorian government implemented three initiatives in order to improve the quality of English

1) Not all graduates have a B1 level

2) The English language requirement for teachers does not guarantee quality of English instruction.

Education must:

1) Redesign the curriculum so that
Teaching English begins in the first grade

2) Increase the English Language Requirement for High School

3) Create an entity who is in charge of offering teachers periodic training

In Ecuador, English is taught as a foreign language and not as a second language, these innovations were created:

1. A new National English Curriculum

2. English language requirement for English teachers

3. Scholarships to study abroad.

The Ministry of Education acknowledged the importance of English as a tool to prepare individuals to understand people and cultures beyond linguistic and geographic boundaries.

National English Curriculum Guidelines

English teaching is optional from 1st grade (2doEGB) to 6th grade (7mo EGB).

English is taught from 7th grade (8voEGB) to 12th grade (3roBACH).

Five weekly 45-minute class periods of English are mandatory

Teachers are required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and must score a B2 language proficiency level in the CEFR

Teachers who do not obtain a certification of a B2 level in the CEFR or its equivalent in the other international exams have the opportunity to attend English language training courses and retake the exam

Government, through SENESCYT, aims to improve Ecuador’s global competitiveness by strengthening and opening opportunities for the development of Ecuadorians studying abroad.

University of Excellence Scholarship

This scholarship seeks to improve the English language proficiency of Ecuadorian teachers of English.

Candidates must have a bachelor’s degree in Educational Sciences with an English language focus

University of Excellence Scholarship

Living in Ecuador or abroad, who wish to pursue their undergraduate and graduate studies in the top 175 best universities in the world, as recognized by SENESCYT.

The rest of the universities are located in Japan, Switzerland, Hong Kong and Singapore