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English Opens Doors Program 
In an effort to further establish Chile as an economic leader, Chile’s Former President, Ricardo Lagos, stated that the country must have a better working knowledge of English if it intends to be more competitive. The Ministry of Education, has reiterated that point saying “Education is the wealth of Chile and English opens doors to increase that wealth.”
Thus, the Chilean Ministry of Education has embarked on a 10-year, multifaceted plan designed to deliver 1,000 hours of English language learning to every student in the country during their grammar and high school years. The program, entitled “English Opens Doors”, plans for students to have a working knowledge of English – written and spoken.
Reportedly, today only three percent of Chileans have a working knowledge of English.
The Ministry of Education’s plans include:
- providing the country’s 7,000 English language professors ways to improve their own comprehension of English and their teaching methods,
- developing a program to bring native English speaking interns from the United States, Canada, Great Britain, and Australia to assist in teaching English,
- improving study-abroad programs for Chilean English teachers, and
- implementing a standards-based testing and measurement system that will give educators a tool by which they can measure advances in their efforts.
Click here to read updates on the English Opens Doors program as printed in The Santiago Times.
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