Abstract:

Education is likely the key of development for many regions all over the world. As a matter of fact, education development is a difficult process, sometimes eclipsed by the heavy pressures of the poverty structures. On the other hand, education policies require important investments in human and material resources.
Guatemala, a multicultural country, runs into several difficulties to find effectiveness in education and integration of diversity. One of the most important difficulties has to do with culture and ethnic origin. A Great part of the population is indigenous. Old education policies did not consider this point as a priority, and the education system used to be based on Spanish monolingual model (following the one in other neighbor countries). Still, the development of new policies, as DIGEBI and other, has really helped to consider bilingual education as an important way to get a right-effective and real education. As a result, many regions in that country receive their education in both Spanish and their mother language (Mayan languages, for instance, quiché or q´qechi´, depending on the department). This supposes an important advance in education and general development of indigenous people, mainly in two ways: the recognition of the importance of a forgotten culture; and the chance for a real development. Intercultural education provides the tools to access to a better future, recognizing the importance and dignity of the own culture and identity as well

Keywords:

Bilingual education, Guatemala, multiculturalism.