Advantages of Bilingual Education

“To have another language is to possess a second soul.” –Charlemagne

Bilingual education is one of the most controversial topics in the field of education. Bilingual education is basically an instructional approach that uses the student’s native language as the medium of imparting knowledge instead of English language so that the instruction is made more meaningful. Despite the criticism, bilingual education system has many advantages, which are:

• Inter-dependency of languages – This states that both the languages are interdependent of each other; therefore, what’s learnt in one language can be easily transferred to the other. This results in proficiency in English language as shown by many researches.
• School Effectiveness –It has been proven from research that students under the bilingual education system tend to score good in school (Lindholm-Leary & Block, 2010). It builds the cognitive ability of kids as it makes them think of different ways to solve the problem, that is, learning the language.
• Creates Empathy – The teacher-student bond is the ultimate driver for effective learning. The teacher who uses the native language of the students to deliver the lecture tends to gain the empathy of the students that creates a friendly atmosphere thus supporting better learning.
• Overcome Apprehension –The bilingual systems can help students overcome their apprehension towards learning the English language. They can easily grab the concepts in class and later on work on it to translate or understand the lesson in English.
• Health Benefits –A healthy mind means a healthy body! It has been proved from research that bilingual education systems help kids to remain mentally healthy. According to a research conducted by Northwestern University, Illinois, kids who grow bilingual have reduced stress, level of anxiety, loneliness and possess high self-esteem. It has also been proven by research that bilingual systems tend to make them more attentive to sounds thus making them good listeners (creating phonological awareness).
• Social Benefits – Teaching kids in their native language creates a sense of respect in them for their own society and culture. They tend to own their background thus making them confident and giving them a good self-image. It also improves their personal relationships.
• Get Rid of Distractions – Psychologists have discovered that bilingual students tend to develop positive attributes like they become more attentive and can perform better in conflicting situations. This would help kids prepare for the competitive world they are going to enter late in life.
• Lingua Franca –Refers to the globally accepted language that is English. It is very essential for kids to learn and be proficient in English in order to compete with the global markets later when they enter the practical world. But it is equally essential for them to learn the concepts, theories and knowledge in their own native language for better understanding and application of the concepts.