If vernacular education is to be given in school, it will usually be part of a bior
multilingual programme unless, of course, the vernacular is English or
similar (cf. p. 162). The actual design of the programme will depend upon the
educational policy being pursued (cf. p. 168). In a developing country in a
plurilingual setting, a decision will first have to be made as to which language
is to be considered the vernacular for educational purposes, and then as to
which languages shall also be included in the school curriculum. Ferguson
states (Ferguson et al., 1977, quoted after Paulston, 1980, p. If) two of the
implicit goals of bilingual education are: "To unify a multilingual community"
and "To enable people to communicate with the outside world." Thus a
regional and/or national language could be introduced in a developing
country as an attempt at unification, and at a later date the official language
(usually a world language) to facilitate communication with the outside
world. Another goal is seen in the desire "To assimilate individuals or groups
into the mainstream of society." This is usually again in the interests of unity
and is often practised with respect to immigrants and linguistic
minorities. Edwards (1977) argues that many of the bilingual projects in
America are designed to facilitate the transition to the dominant language