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Studies & Degrees in Intercultural Bilingual Elementary Education

Intercultural bilingual elementary education trains primary school teachers to work in two languages and across two cultures. The term comes mainly from Latin America, where educación intercultural bilingüe (EIB) means schooling for Indigenous children in their own language and in Spanish, with the community's knowledge as part of the curriculum. In Europe and North America the nearest equivalents are bilingual primary teaching, in which part of the curriculum is taught in a second language, and teaching in multilingual classrooms.

The case for it is set out by UNESCO, which holds that everyone has the right to learn in their own language. According to UNESCO, 40% of people globally lack access to education in the language they speak and understand fluently, and more than a quarter of a billion learners are affected.

What students learn

A programme combines ordinary primary teacher training with language and culture. Students learn how to teach reading, writing, mathematics, science and social studies to children aged roughly six to twelve. They also study how a first and a second language are acquired and taught, and they spend long periods in schools. The degree in Educación Intercultural Bilingüe of the Universidad Nacional de Educación (UNAE) in Ecuador is a clear example. Its curriculum includes a language course in each of the first six levels, the teaching of the second language, academic reading and writing in the first and second languages, ethnomathematics, and three-week immersion placements in intercultural bilingual schools.

Qualifications and levels

  • Guatemala. Primary teachers train at university in a profesorado. At the Universidad del Valle de Guatemala (UVG) the profesorados of the Faculty of Education consist of 25 courses and two teaching placements. The Profesorado Especializado en Educación Primaria lasts two and a half years, its graduates can apply for the teaching licence (cédula docente) of the Ministry of Education, and they can go on to complete a licenciatura in a total of four years. The page of UVG's Altiplano campus lists a Profesorado Especializado en Educación Primaria Bilingüe Intercultural; ask the university whether it is admitting students.
  • Ecuador. UNAE awards the title of Licenciado/a en Ciencias de la Educación Intercultural Bilingüe after nine ordinary academic periods.
  • Spain. The qualification is the bachelor's degree for primary teachers (grado de Maestro en Educación Primaria), an official degree of 240 ECTS credits that may include specialisations (menciones) of 30 to 60 ECTS credits. The ministerial order that regulates it lists among its aims dealing effectively with language learning in multicultural and plurilingual contexts, and says graduates should be able to express themselves in a foreign language at CEFR level B1. Some universities teach part of the degree in English: the Universidad Complutense de Madrid offers a Spanish-English bilingual group.
  • United States. Public elementary school teachers typically need a bachelor's degree in elementary education and a state-issued certification or licence, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

Where to study it

SpainExchange lists three active schools under this subject: two in Spain and one in Guatemala. Only one of them trains teachers, the Universidad del Valle de Guatemala. The two in Spain are schools for children that teach in several languages. Colexio Guillelme Brown in Ourense, a Galician cooperative since 1987, aims for pupils who are competent in English, French, Spanish and Galician. Colegio Villa de Griñón, in the Madrid region, introduces English, French, German and Chinese from infant education. They show what the bilingual classroom looks like in practice, but they do not award teaching qualifications.

Teaching qualifications are national, and so are the languages. Programmes in Latin America are taught in Spanish and in the Indigenous languages of the country; in Spain they are taught in Spanish, in the co-official language of the region where there is one, and partly in English in bilingual groups. Admission can be restricted too: UNAE requires applicants to be Ecuadorian citizens or legal residents of Ecuador. Anyone planning to teach in another country should ask the education authority there how a foreign teaching degree is recognised.

Careers

Most graduates become primary school teachers, in bilingual schools or in schools serving Indigenous or migrant communities. UNAE lists other outlets for its graduates: educational support posts in intercultural programmes, social organisations, NGOs and national and international bodies, educational research, language revitalisation and the production of teaching materials. In Chile, the Ministry of Education's Programa de Educación Intercultural Bilingüe also works with traditional educators (educadores tradicionales) from the Indigenous communities.

In the United States, the BLS projects little or no change in the overall employment of kindergarten and elementary school teachers from 2025 to 2035. It notes that some schools employ English as a second language (ESL) teachers, who work with pupils who are learning English.

Frequently asked questions

Which languages do I need to study intercultural bilingual education?

The language of instruction of the country plus the second language of the programme. In Latin America that is usually Spanish and an Indigenous language, which the degree itself teaches. In Spain, the order regulating the primary teaching degree expects graduates to reach level B1 in a foreign language, and bilingual groups work partly in English.

How long does the degree take?

It depends on the country: 240 ECTS credits in Spain, nine academic periods at UNAE in Ecuador, and two and a half years for the profesorado at UVG in Guatemala, or four years in total with the licenciatura.

Can I teach in another country with this degree?

Not automatically. Teaching is a regulated profession in many countries; in Spain, for example, the degree of Maestro en Educación Primaria is the only one that qualifies for teaching primary pupils. Ask the education authority of the country where you want to work how your degree is recognised.