ABSTRACT
Cultural and linguistic diversity has been a fact of life in many parts of the world for many centuries. As an agent of society, the educational system has an important role to play in helping to produce citizens who can live relatively harmoniously in a multicultural society. As language is used within a social context, it must also be seen in terms of the use bilingual speaker makes of his/her two languages within the context of a bilingual community. Bilingualism can be a positive resource in classroom activities if teachers are willing to accept different conceptions and knowledge, and stimulate children to share them. In a multicultural, multiethnic society, even if bilingual children constitute a small percentage of the total school population, each individual has a right to a broad and balanced curriculum and work at the appropriate conceptual level.
