The Arguments For And Against English Medium Education - Assignment Example

Discuss the arguments for and against English medium education for people whose first language is not English. The English Language is widely known as an international language, its major worldwide importance has been greatly influenced by its social, political and economical dominance. In many non-English countries English is taught as a second language on most educational levels from primary level to university level and beyond. One of the reasons it is taught as a compulsory subject is because of the appeal it provides to international job and study opportunities, therefore creating greater potential for civilians to progress and develop themselves and their country. A Nigerian scholar presents his views about learning English; for many people it is not a wish to learn English because of the advantages it brings, but rather there is a need to learn English which means that learning is not actually a choice (Bamgbose, 2009, p. 648). Robert Phillipson (1992) critically views the learning of English under the influence of economical advancement and social mobility and associates it with linguistic imperialism which allows England and The United States to maintain their economic and political interests and spread their ideological and cultural values throughout the world. According to Widdowson, English is an international language and native speakers feel proud that it is used as an international means of communication but realise that it is not their possession and that many others also own it (Widdowson, 1994, p. 385). Braj Kachru (1992) acknowledges the international importance of the English language and categorizes different countries in inner, outer and expanding circles according to the level of English usage in his influential model, it includes not only the countries which have British colonial heritage of learning English as their second language such as Malaysia, Sri Lanka and India but also includes countries which had no colonial history and still learn English as a first or second language. In Malaysia, at the time of its independence, only the elite class were given education through the medium of English to maintain power and prosperity and the rest of the population was educated through their local language in order to maintain the status quo. Later, it was found necessary to introduce English education to all classes to aid economical development. Science and Maths were introduced in English to meet the upcoming technological developments. The teachers and parents of children in primary level had to struggle to cope with such changes as their own medium was Malaya and they did not have sufficient knowledge of English. The introduction of colonists’ language faced resistance from many parents in Malaysian society as they took it as the return of the colonist and feared the loss of their own language - their national identity. It is note-worthy that the business class parents or those involved in media or politics knew the value of learning the English Language so favoured it. Another issue was the insufficient availability of skilled teachers, especially within rural areas. This led the government to introduce both mediums of education while emphasizing on mastering English as a foreign language, parents were left to choose which way they wanted their children to learn, which in return brought discrimination in society. Mr. Mahathir, the Prime Minister, who introduced this policy showed his sadness over the decision of moving back to Malaya to educate children as it would bring difficulties for the students to cope with scientific developments in the future (Gooch, 2009). In the video clip we are given a clear idea that the Malaysian government was familiar with the significance of English language regarding the success of the country, but resistance from certain people towards learning English came because of the colonial history and after independence there was a political desire to promote Malaya. Later, when the need to learn English was accepted by Malaysians, there aroused a state of social inequality as they lacked funds to train the teachers for educating students in the medium of English, so giving good quality education got effected by language politics (U214, DVD 3, Clip 18.2). In many European countries bilingualism or multilingualism is promoted which the Department for Children, School and Families acknowledges in a document The New Arrivals Excellence Programme Guidance as a positive aspect of their intellectual development (DCSF, 2007, p. 37, my emphasis). English in these countries is taken as a compulsory language to improve communication with the world and to attain higher education without effecting their mother tongue. Writers and researchers also need to learn English, or otherwise seek the assistance of those who can turn their writings into scholarly English language to get worldwide readers and to get their work acknowledged on a greater scale. Non-English countries promote their web pages in English which indicates its importance in research work and higher studies. Even Malaysia aims to be a centre of higher education through this dominating language to earn foreign currency (Foo and Richards, 2004). Providing higher studies in English not only enhances job opportunities for the national students but also catches the attention of international students which therefore develops better international relationships among nations as the students provide economical, social and cultural benefits to the country they come to study in and also to their homeland with high qualifications (Universities Australia, 2009). Bilingualism or multilingualism is promoted in many countries, but the language policy may vary as we observe with Wales and Singapore in the video clip, the medium of education is English but preserving mother tongue is considered important as it plays a vital role in preserving national identity and culture. In the clip we also come across different students who have an acute awareness of the importance of learning English as a second language. A pupil from a Welsh school, Carwyns Graves, expresses his view about the importance of bilingualism that it endows cognitive and social advantages. A Singaporean student is of the view that multilingualism enables him to express different aspects of his personality - analytical, emotional, practical etc. So learning English makes the students approach a variety of advantages (U214, DVD 3, Clip 16.2). Today English has become a commodity and The United Kingdom has recognised the fact that many countries lack skilled teachers who are able to provide their societies with higher education and has begun to play the role of service provider by setting up and introducing programs regarding English teaching, English testing and academic publishing. For example, the British Council is helping the government of Rwanda to introduce English into their classrooms by providing 44,000 trained English teachers which will enable thousands of Rwandans to put their country on the road to development by enhancing economic growth (British Council, 2010, p. 16). A survey taken in Rwanda to determine the influence of English language on income presented a great difference between the salaries of the people with English skills and no English. Williams does not appreciate such results and calls them the outcome of a defective education system. Attaining English skills in such developing countries as Rwanda is approachable for the elite who are in a position to transfer it to their children, such policy is educationally and politically risky as it invites discrimination in society. It also provokes a thought that such intervention by the British Council is contributing to a firm external repositioning of Rwanda, and clearly stands as more than a ‘help’ and asks for an establishment of multilingual literacy throughout the society (Williams, E., ed., 2012). However politically risky it may be, English appeals to students from all over the world who want to learn purer British English and the commercial ELT (English Language Training) has helped them with its textbooks from elementary to advanced levels. Thus UK ELT has become a standardized global market which is increasing with the passing of time as the sale revenue increased from £164 million (2005) to £207 million (2007) in spite of the financial crisis across the world and the incursion of the digital media. We have come to know that promising job prospects are the main motivation which leads people to pursue learning English. The students from Eckersley Language School prefer British English and favour the native speakers teaching them as it brings purer English to them (U214, DVD 3 Clip 19.2). To conclude, English has maintained its international status through its social, economical and political importance. There is more of a need than a wish to learn English as a second language in the non-English dominating countries, in which their governments and private sectors have to promote higher education in English while preserving their national language which mantains their identity and culture. Refrences Bamgbose. A, (2009, p. 648) ‘English as a positive resource’ in Seargent. P., (ed) (2012) ‘The Politics and Policies of Global English’ Abingdon, Routledge/Milton Keynes, The Open University, p. 18. DCSF, (2007) ‘Reading B: English lessens’  in Monaghan, F., (ed) (2012) ‘Learning English, Learning Through English’  Abingdon, Routledge/Milton Keynes, The Open University, p. 130. Foo and Richards, (2004) ‘English-medium education in bilingual and multilingual settings’ in Hewing, A., (ed) (2012)  ‘Learning English, Learning Through English’  Abingdon, Routledge/Milton Keynes, The Open University, p. 99. Gooch, (2009) ‘English-medium education in bilingual and multilingual settings’ in Hewing, A., (ed) (2012)  ‘Learning English, Learning Through English’  Abingdon, Routledge/Milton Keynes, The Open University, pp. 104, 112. Gray, J., (ed) (2012) ‘Commercial ELT: English the Industry’ Abingdon, Routledge/Milton Keynes, The Open University, pp. 145-149.  Kachru, B., (1992) ‘English-medium education in bilingual and multilingual settings’ in Hewing, A., (ed) (2012) ‘Learning English, Learning Through English’  Abingdon, Routledge/Milton Keynes, The Open University, p. 95. Phillipson, R., (1992) ‘The hegemony of English’ in Seargent. P., (ed) (2012)  ‘The Politics and Policies of Global English’ Abingdon, Routledge/Milton Keynes, The Open University, p. 23. Widdowson, (1994) ‘Conclusion: appropriating English’ in Seargent. P., (ed) (2012)  ‘The Politics and Policies of Global English’ Abingdon, Routledge/Milton Keynes, The Open University, p. 31 Williams, E., (ed) () 2012 Reading A: Language policy, politics and development in Africa: English in Industry Abingdon, Routledge/Milton Keynes, The Open University, p. 147. Open University, (2012) U214 ‘Worlds of English’, ‘DVD 3 Language policy in multilingual schools’ David Hann, The Open University. Open University, (2012) U214 ‘Worlds of English’, ‘DVD 3 The politics of English in postcolonial settings: Malaysia’ David Hann, The Open University. Open University, (2012) U214 ‘Worlds of English’, ‘DVD 3 An English-language school’ David Hann, The Open University. Read More