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Challenges of Mathematics Education in a Multilingual Post-Colonial Context

The Case of Suriname

  • Chapter
Human Rights in Language and STEM Education

Abstract

In spite of Suriname’s national independence, the Dutch language has remained the primary medium of instruction used in the school system, and the only medium that may open the access to upward social mobility in Suriname. However, Dutch is one of the home languages for only a small minority of the pupils. A high percentage of children, especially in the interior of the country, may have never heard a word of Dutch until they start school (Arends & Carlin, 2002, p. 285).

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Modern Languages, Utrecht University, The Netherlands

    Emmanuelle Le Pichon

  2. Rutu Foundation, Intercultural Multilingual Education, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    Ellen-Rose Kambel

Authors
  1. Emmanuelle Le Pichon
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  2. Ellen-Rose Kambel
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of California, Berkeley, USA

    Zehlia Babaci-Wilhite

  2. University of Oslo, Norway

    Zehlia Babaci-Wilhite

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Pichon, E.L., Kambel, ER. (2016). Challenges of Mathematics Education in a Multilingual Post-Colonial Context. In: Babaci-Wilhite, Z. (eds) Human Rights in Language and STEM Education. SensePublishers, Rotterdam. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6300-405-3_13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6300-405-3_13

  • Publisher Name: SensePublishers, Rotterdam

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-6300-405-3

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