La diversidad de lenguas y de escrituras. Un desafìo pedagògico para la alfabetizaciòn inicial

Since compulsory education was introduced, schools have in part sought to achieve equality. Yet this egalitarian principle was soon surpassed in practice by a concern for uniformity, which took as its archetype a pupil articulate in just one language. This amounts to a historically dated view –still thriving–according to which the national language transforms a young person into a citizen. From this standpoint, differences amount to an interference to be removed or, in some cases, a barrier to be overcome. Now, however, the make-­‐up of the school population both in Europe and elsewhere is leading us to reconsider this belief far more closely. The diversity of languages (with all that this implies from a cultural perspective) is the rule rather than the exception. Diversity may of course be acknowledged superficially (for example: « So how do you celebrate the end of the year and on what date ?»). But how is one to respond to the fundamental challenge involved in facing up to such differences? And what are the implications for the daily conduct of education ? The question at the heart of the contribution is this: can diversity be regarded as an educational asset when people are taught to read and write?