Education, language and development
Chabbot and Ramirez (2004) emphasise the central role of international development organisations and conferences in rationalising a discourse that strongly links development and education for national and individual development goals. According to the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals (see Appendix 3), a major goal of education is poverty alleviation. However, recent studies emphasise the social, political and cultural aspects of development in addition to economic gains from development. The declaration of Education for All2, signed by more than 150 nations, including Pakistan, reaffirmed the close link between education and development at the individual, national and global levels. In this context, a pertinent question asked by Brock-Utne is:
2 | Developing English in development contexts
‘Education for all – in whose language?’ Brock-Utne argues, rightly in my view, that, ‘The concept “education for all” becomes a completely empty concept if the linguistic environment of the basic learners is not taken into account’ (2000:141). The complex relationship between language, power and the personal and its consequences is highlighted by Chambers, a development specialist. He asks: