THE Government of Guyana has announced that the teaching of Spanish in primary schools will be compulsory with effect from the new school year. This is not only commendable, but forward-looking especially in the context of globalisation and change. The world is becoming increasingly interdependent and interconnected. We now live in the so-called ‘global village.’
What all of this means for us in Guyana is that we have to rise above parochialism and begin to have a much deeper understanding and appreciation of our role in this evolving world order. Our ability to grasp opportunities and communicate is essential in this regard.

It is a fact of our colonial history that we are the only English-speaking country in mainland South America. Most of the countries in South and Central America are Spanish-speaking countries. This truly make us unique both from a cultural and geo-strategic standpoint.

President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, in recognition of this fact, has taken a decision to make the teaching of Spanish compulsory in primary schools with effect from the new school year. He noted that as the only country in South America, we have an obligation to the young people by providing them with a second language in an increasingly competitive world.
According to President Ali, ‘Being in a continent in South America….we are the only English-speaking country. We have to realize too that we are part of this continent that speaks Spanish. And I believe we are going to do the future young people of our country an injustice if we don’t point them in this direction. If you want to be competitive internationally, you have to have this second language.’

The teaching of Spanish at the secondary school level has commenced some time ago without any major constraint in terms of teachers and learning resources. However, the teaching of the subject at the primary level is likely to be more of a challenge, even though at the initial stages the subject will only be limited to the upper levels of the primary school. Education Minister, Priya Manickchand has indicated that assistance is being sought from Cuba and Mexico in terms of teachers.

Yet, it is a challenge that is worth taking. The reality is that Spanish as a language is becoming increasingly universalized and is second only to English and Chinese in terms of popularity. It is the official language in 40 countries especially, as noted earlier, in the South American mainland. In the case of Guyana, both Venezuela and Brazil are bordering countries where Spanish and Portuguese, respectively, are the official languages because of their past colonial history. Both languages do however have some striking similarities. They both have the same Latin roots and have much in common in terms of vocabulary and grammar.

The reality is that the socio-cultural and linguistic landscape in Guyana is already changing with the increasing number of Spanish-speaking people who live and work in Guyana due to the rising tide of economic opportunities resulting from the booming oil and gas sector. A significant number of them are finding employment in the construction sector and in the service sector. It is not uncommon these days to observe the changing linguistic and cultural diversity in several aspects of our national life.

This is why it is so important to prepare our young people for this new and changing dispensation. As Guyana becomes more integrated in the hemispheric and for that matter global economic infrastructure, the importance of learning one or more foreign languages is becoming more of an imperative.

President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali and the PPP/C administration must be commended for their perspicacity and foresight in preparing our young people to take advantage of an ever-changing and increasingly competitive environment.