1.Nicaragua Promotes Multilingualism with the Inauguration of the Language Academy
2. Foreign Minister Valdrack Jaentschke: Inauguration of the “Hero Brian Willson” University Language Academy
3. Interview with Angela Rosa Munguia, Rector of UNAN-Managua: “There are no costs here, because we are a public university, a university of the people and for the people”
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1.Nicaragua Promotes Multilingualism with the Inauguration of the Language Academy
http://spanish.xinhuanet.com/20251024/381d698807e742b0a066a2c45b2bc0f1/c.html
MANAGUA, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) — Nicaragua strengthens its commitment to education and internationalization with the inauguration yesterday in Managua of the “Hero Brian Willson” Language Academy, a center dedicated to strengthening language training as a tool for academic and professional growth. The new academy will offer free language courses in Chinese, French, English, Italian, Portuguese, and Russian, all certified by the National Autonomous University of Nicaragua (UNAN) in Managua.
“It will allow our young people to have the communication tools they need to stay connected to global technological development trends and participate in the various political, economic, and technological opportunities that are opening up to them in this rapidly changing world,” said Nicaraguan Foreign Minister Valdrack Jaentschke.
The Nicaraguan diplomat explained that the institution is named after Brian Willson, an American war veteran and activist who became a symbol of international solidarity with Nicaragua. In 1987, during protests against the US military intervention, Wilson was seriously wounded while trying to stop a train carrying weapons to the counterrevolution in Nicaragua. “In recognition of his sacrifice and dedication to the symbol of the struggle for peace, this university language academy bears his name (…) so that our young people can, every day, remember and be inspired by Brian’s unconditional love for his brothers and sisters, the Nicaraguan people, and the defense of the Sandinista ideal,” the chancellor explained.
Authorities plan to train more than 1,400 students each year in regular, Saturday, and Sunday programs, in addition to creating graduate programs in translation and interpretation, thus strengthening the international reach of Nicaraguan higher education.
The rector of UNAN Managua, Ángela Munguía, stated that the project is “the result of the clear vision of a government that firmly believes in education as a fundamental human right.” Munguía stated that they thus reaffirm “their commitment to comprehensive training, internationalization, and the promotion of multilingualism.”
Meanwhile, from the student community, Douglas Lara, president of the National Union of Students of Nicaragua (UNEN), emphasized that the initiative will allow young people to contribute to national development. “Today it is up to us, the student leaders, the youth leaders, to defend the tranquility, peace, and projects of our people,” the student representative stated.
The Language Academy’s registration process began this week and is already seeing high demand from interested young people, one of whom is Vivian Zamora, who highlighted the practical value of language learning. “A second language opens doors for you in the workplace, for developing yourself, for meeting new people, for discovering new opportunities, for new horizons, and it’s actually quite good,” Zamora said. Another interested party, Lismary Urcuyo, said the language center “is very important” because it will allow her to “continue advancing, growing as a student, and developing as a professional.”
The “Héroe Brian Wilson” Language Academy features fully equipped classrooms, an auditorium, a digital technology room, and modern administrative areas, establishing itself as a key educational space for promoting multilingualism and international cooperation from Nicaragua.
2. Foreign Minister Valdrack Jaentschke: Inauguration of the “Hero Brian Willson” University Language Academy
It is an honor to be here and convey the warm and fraternal greetings of our Co-Presidents of the Republic, Commander Daniel Ortega Saavedra and Comrade Rosario Murillo Zambrana. This inauguration of the “Hero Brian Willson” University Language Academy reflects the commitment of our Government of Reconciliation and National Unity, of our Co-Presidents Commander Daniel and Compañera Rosario, to guarantee comprehensive training for our youth, a quality education in all its forms and levels, which generates well-being and development for young people who are studying and for their families.
The approximately 1,300 students who will be served at this University Academy will study a wide range of languages, which will be taught in the morning and afternoon, on Saturdays and Sundays.
It will enable our young people to have the communication tools they need to stay connected to global technological development trends and participate in the various political, economic, and technological opportunities available to them in this rapidly changing world in which we live.
The Language Academy is named after Hero Brian Willson, a Hero of Peace, Justice, and Solidarity. He represents a form of unconditional love for one’s neighbor.
Brother Brian’s story is well known. He is an American- born veteran, peace activist, lawyer, and writer. On September 1, 1987, in the midst of a brutal military intervention against the Sandinista Popular Revolution, Brian was protesting on the train tracks outside the Concord Naval Station in California, attempting to stop a train carrying weapons, ammunition, and supplies sent by the then-United States government to the counterrevolution, which was committing war crimes against the peaceful Nicaraguan people every day. This war destroyed the country in the 1980s, causing more than 50,000 deaths.
The protest had begun hours earlier. But the death train had orders to stop for nothing, no one, and it did exactly as it was told: it didn’t stop. In an attempt to end the lives of those who had stepped onto the tracks, including Brian, the train ran over him, crushing his legs and causing serious injuries to his body.
Brian miraculously survived to continue his revolutionary, pacifist struggle. Advocating for and defending the Sandinista Popular Revolution, progressive revolutions, and the peoples of the world who are stalked, threatened, and attacked by the darkest forces in history, installed in the global north, who seek to continue imposing their decadent hegemonic model and their corrupted thinking, trying to stop the sovereign advances of free peoples like Nicaragua.
That action by Brother Brian Willson is a symbol of love, heroism, courage, loyalty to the people of Nicaragua, and solidarity with the cause of the Sandinista National Liberation Front during that dark time. It inspires us in the battles we fight today against the same dark forces, the same forms of imperial intervention and imposition.
On September 1, 2020, our Co-Presidents of the Republic, through the National Assembly, awarded Brother Brian Willson the Order of José Dolores Estrada, Battle of San Jacinto, Grand Cross. On that occasion, Compañera Rosario said: “It marks 33 years since the heroic sacrifice of the legs of a United States war veteran, pacifist Brian Willson, a hero, a hero of solidarity, a hero of peace, who does us the honor of living here in Nicaragua among us, this Nicaragua for which he gave a part of his body and his life, where he leaves us an enormous, immense example.”
Today, in recognition of his sacrifice and dedication, the symbol of the struggle for peace, this University Academy of Languages bears his name “Hero Brian Willson” so that our young people can remember every day and be inspired by Brian’s unconditional love for his brothers and sisters, the Nicaraguan people and his lifelong defense of the Sandinista ideal.
Thank you so much.
3. Interview with Angela Rosa Munguia, Rector of UNAN-Managua, with journalists Alberto Mora and Arlen Hernández: Hero Brian Willson Academy: “There are no costs here, because we are a public university, a university of the people and for the people”
Journalist Alberto Mora: We welcome Comrade Ángela Rosa Munguía, Rector of UNAN-Managua, National Autonomous University of Nicaragua, UNN-Managua. Professor, thank you for being with us and allowing us to speak with you. We want to talk a little about the opening of the new Brian Wilson Language Academy, and also a little about Pre-enrollment at UNAN. Could you tell us a little about the capabilities of this Academy, the languages that will be offered, and what the requirements are for people to be able to access these courses?
Ángela Rosa Munguía: It’s truly a pleasure for us to be here with you, sharing information that’s of interest to practically the entire country. We’ve begun enrollment at the Hero Brian Willson Academy—that’s the correct name for the Academy—which began as a project to address all the educational needs of the entire population nationwide. We can say that expectations have been exceeded. We truly thought we’d be enrolling all week; in fact, we’ll continue doing so, but we didn’t expect such a large number of students interested in learning a language.
This Academy currently has a little over eight languages, including English, Mandarin Chinese, Russian, French, German, Korean, and Japanese. But demand, you could say, is almost normal. Right now, we’re focusing more on English. We also have many people interested in Korean, especially young people. Young people really like Eastern languages because they have a lot to do with Japanese manga, Korean manga, all the things they see every day on television.
Journalist Arlen Hernández: Professor, tell us about this first part of this experience of the enrollments. You mentioned when the inauguration was taking place that it is for those 15 years old and older. How has the experience been, because mothers have also come to enroll?
Principal Ángela Rosa Munguía: Yes, this is a very interesting phenomenon because so far we have served children as young as 10 who have come with their mothers, 10, 11, 12 years old, and adults as old as 65, who show a lot of interest, and say, finally I’m going to be able to study, I’ve always wanted to study, and finally I’m going to have this opportunity to study a language. You know that a Language Academy isn’t that cheap, and there are no fees here, because we’re a public university, we’re the University of the People and for the People, and there won’t be a charge.
Journalist Alberto Mora: Professor, that’s why I asked you about the requirements and the age ranges; you’re talking about children as young as 10 and also older adults. What are the age ranges you’re going to accept?
Rector Ángela Rosa Munguía: For the moment, we’re planning for students starting at 15 years old, and there’s no upper age limit. If someone is 70, or as I was saying, 65, we’re not going to tell them not to come.
Journalist Alberto Mora: Academic Requirements?
Principal Ángela Rosa Munguía: The Academic Requirements… The truth is that we are accepting students from Primary School onwards. Since it’s not a vocational training program, but rather an Open Course level, we can’t set those kinds of requirements. We can’t tell people to have a Bachelor’s degree or a Professional Level degree. It’s truly open; in other words, there’s no age limit, and the academic requirement isn’t to have a Bachelor’s degree either.
Journalist Arlen Hernández: What will the methodology be like, Professor?
Principal Ángela Rosa Munguía: We use a communicative methodology because the truth is that most people want to speak the language; so we’re going to focus on Modern Methodologies, which emphasize communication, just like we’re talking about, communication at a general level.
Journalist Arlen Hernández: What will the course schedules be like? What are the prospects for people who work Monday through Friday?
Principal Ángela Rosa Munguía: We have morning, afternoon, Saturday, and Sunday classes planned. One of the things I really liked was seeing mothers or fathers who brought their children to register. They work during the week but are interested in studying on Saturday or Sunday. Since they couldn’t make it because the lines were huge, they brought the documents. For now, we’re just asking for ID cards and some information about their schooling level and address, and all that; but it’s comforting and joyful to see the interest of parents in supporting their children in this process.
Journalist Alberto Mora: How’s it going in each of the languages? From the first level to how far?
Rector Ángela Rosa Munguía: We are going to base ourselves on the Common European Framework for Language Teaching, which provides for A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, and C2, which is the highest level, and in accordance with that, we have the planning of the Course offerings.
Journalist Arlen Hernández: Have you found entrepreneurs among the protagonists of these registrations, because we also know that entrepreneurship in our country is developing very strongly, especially tourism ventures?
Words from Rector Ángela Rosa Munguía: Yes, of course, there are people with all interests, professionals, there are people who have businesses; really, the entire public that has come is very diverse.
Journalist Arlen Hernández: You mentioned that language is highly preferred among Nicaraguans. What other languages, besides Korean, are they interested in?
Words from Rector Ángela Rosa Munguía: French, Russian, Mandarin Chinese. People really come with that interest in other languages.
Journalist Arlen Hernández: Who currently makes up the academic staff? Let’s say all the intellectual and pedagogical development that this entails?
Rector Ángela Rosa Munguía: Yes, we have the Language Education area, where we specifically offer training at the Bachelor’s level; in the area of Translation and Interpretation in Foreign Languages, we have the English program; we also had the French program as a Bachelor’s degree; so we currently have Free Courses, and we are basing ourselves on them, we are going to unify all those efforts to strengthen the Academy. We have a trained teaching staff; we also have Korean teachers, native Korean teachers, native Chinese teachers, and native teachers in other languages.
Journalist Arlen Hernández: What does it mean that this Language Academy bears the name of a Hero, but above all, someone who represents International Militant Solidarity, such as Comrade Brian Wilson?
Rector Ángela Rosa Munguía: That’s very important to us; it’s a tribute we’re paying to a person who practically gave his life for us, for our Cause. For us, that’s truly the least we can do for a person who had that courage, that bravery to stand up to his government, to face everything that meant at that time, and who had to suffer the consequences to this day, because what he had to go through isn’t easy. So, it’s a tribute we want to pay to that International Hero.
Journalist Alberto Mora: Professor, we don’t want you to leave without telling us about the University’s pre-registration process for the 2026 academic year. How is it going? How is it planned?
Rector Ángela Rosa Munguía: Since last year, we have had a Single Pre-registration System; these begin on Monday the 27th and end on November 30th. We expect to serve around 70,000 students; that’s the offer available for the 12 public universities. They enter the Official Website of the Technical Secretariat of the University, SETEC; all that data is available on the networks. They will have the opportunity to select three options, as has been done in previous years, and the results will be announced on November 15th.
Journalist Alberto Mora: Professor, are you going to prioritize grade averages this time?
Rector Ángela Rosa Munguía: Always, this time there is no Admission Exam, what is taken into account are the highest averages.
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