This presentation will describe an educational change in Colombia affecting the teaching of English as a foreign language and the contributinos towards this change of the COFE Project.
In 1991 the Colombian government enacted a new General Law of Education. One of the provisions of this law introduced foreign language teaching into primary schools for the first time. it also firmly established communicative competence as the main objective of the foreign language teaching.
Clearly this legislation was to have important implications for students, current teachers and teachers in training.
At the same time the Colombian government signed an agreement with the ODA (Overseas Development Administration) establishing the Colombian Framework for English (COFE) Project to focus on developing the quality of Colombian undergraduate degrees in English in the state and private sector.
In my presentation I would like to describe the original shape of an undergraduate degree in English and comment on its inadequacies for the preparation of teachers of English. I would also like to outline the objectives and work of the COFE Project and describe some of its outcomes in Colombian universities.
Finally I would like to outline my own research project, presenting a pilot questionnaire which I intend to use in a Colombian university and look forward to feedback on this.
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