The current circumstances do not allow for Spanish as a second national language

May 16, 2024 Letters

Dear Editor,

Why is the Ministry of Education planning to place the burden of Spanish on our Teachers and the Education System? Currently we are at risk of Venezuelan forces taking an enormous part of our country, and the Ministry of Education plans to make it easier for Spanish speaking to occur as a norm. Doesn’t this seem risky to others? Do we plan on making Guyana a bilingual country where Spanish and English are spoken? This appears to be the plan being unveiled by the current administration.

Wouldn’t it be better to learn the languages of our first peoples, the majority of our population and our allies? Our Amerindian brothers and sisters have been here from the inception and yet their languages have not been fully embraced by the Ministry of Education and the Education System. We have Amerindian languages that are at risk of extinction and yet we have not used the education system to formally prevent this from occurring. Placing resources behind the preservation and expansion of our Amerindian culture is money better spent. Indians make up the majority of our population, but Arabic and Hindi are not language options in all of our schools. Brazil has stood by our side during the current conflict with Venezuela and we should do our best to ensure we understand each other. Spanish and French are taught in Form 1 when children enter Queen’s College, High School and Secondary School.

Those who want to pursue those languages have the opportunity to do so then. A similar opportunity should be provided for other languages such as Amerindian languages, Arabic, Hindi and Portuguese. They are a part of our culture and are also the languages of our Allies.

Venezuela continues to pursue its ambition to take Essequibo. We must protect against this. We should also learn from what has happened in the United States where the high influx of illegal immigrants from Mexico has not been stopped. To some extent it has been encouraged due to the ease of use of the Spanish language. The Americans have made Spanish an available option throughout major parts of the country and along their border. The security risks continue to escalate, and the entry of illegal drugs and the occurrence of human trafficking have grown out of control. If the Venezuelans continue to take our territory via illegal immigration we should be making it more difficult for them to do so. A language barrier can be effective in accomplishing this. It will also be more difficult for them to gain influence and positions of power. We must guard against members of the Venezuelan Militia becoming a part of our Government and the National Security Apparatus.

The plan to push Spanish as a national language places at risk our national security. On the list of priorities for language use in our country, Spanish should not be at the top. Our Amerindian languages, Arabic, Hindi and Portuguese should be given higher priority. When Venezuela relinquishes their claim to our territory then we may consider making them feel more comfortable when visiting (not staying) in our country. We must treat strangers nicely, but we should not do this to our own detriment. It has also been recently reported in the press that the Venezuelan military is building a bridge to link Venezuela to Essequibo. Our Government can not ignore the current threat of war and continue to pursue the risky plans to increase the use of the Spanish language and integrate those illegally entering from Venezuela into our country. The high influx of illegal immigrants under the current circumstances is not a coincidence. We must as a nation demand a stoppage be put to the Venezuelans illegally entering our country. It is time for the current administration to make this a reality.

With concern,

Mr. Jamil Changlee

administration, Education System, Language, Mr. Jamil Changlee, Spanish

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