”Actors from the side” in language-in-education policy change towards increased use of non-dominant languages

• In Event: Highlighted Session: Actors, activism, and agendas: Pathways to multilingual education policy creation and enactment across contexts

Proposal

Kosonen and Benson (2021) describe “actors from the side” in language-in-education policy change processes as those who operate in between “actors from above” (mainly government policymakers) and “actors from below” (non-dominant ethnolinguistic communities). These two groups often have little or no direct contact, so side actors frequently step in to bridge the gap, facilitating communication and collaboration. In most contexts, side actors contribute technical expertise and resources needed for the use of non-dominant languages (NDLs) in education—sometimes on their own initiative, sometimes in response to policy decisions, and sometimes in collaboration with actors from either above or below. Side actors can include academics, linguists, teacher trainers, school inspectors, sub-national officials, and local NGOs at the national level, as well as international consultants, staff from INGOs, multilateral (e.g UN) agencies and donors. The actions from the side range from piloting multilingual education (MLE) programs and developing orthographies to teacher training, curriculum and materials development, and institutional capacity building. They also often monitor and evaluate programs and publish research on outcomes, hoping to influence broader policy directions.

This paper explores the role of side actors in language-in-education policy change in different contexts. It focuses on identifying the key side actors in each setting, examining how their agency influences change, and looking at their relationships with actors from above and below. The analysis draws on 12 case studies (Kosonen & Benson, forthcoming) where NDLs have been integrated into education policy and practice. These include cases from Asia, Africa, the Americas, and Oceania, with ten set in low- and middle-income countries of the Global South (Cambodia, China, Ecuador, Kazakhstan, Morocco, Myanmar, Philippines, Senegal, Thailand, and Timor-Leste). Two additional cases involve subnational contexts: an NDL community in Chubut province, Argentina, and another in Australia’s Northern Territory.

Findings from across the cases show that the role and agency of side actors differ greatly depending on context. Still, a key conclusion is that the active involvement of side actors is essential for making the use of non-dominant languages in education both possible and sustainable.

Author

• Kimmo Kosonen, FiBS