The English-medium fever in Pakistan: analyzing policy, perceptions and practices through additive bi/multilingual education lens

Abstract

This study analyses the crisis of English teaching in Pakistan. The study examines stakeholders’ perceptions and classroom practices to identify theoretical fault lines and institutional/pedagogical challenges in the low-fee schools. We deem such research critical in the backdrop of public's heavy reliance and feverish pursuit of low-fee English-medium schools which have expanded exponentially off late. Deploying mixed methodology that utilized a questionnaire, interviews and observation, the research draws information from students, teachers and school principals. Results suggest that most respondents perceive early-English policy inevitable, and believe that the earlier the English-medium policy, the better. Respondents’ majority also views additive multilingual policy unfavorably presuming that more languages will amount to learners’ confusion. Teaching mother tongues is being perceived as waste of time. Actual English teaching practices appear illusory, as direct and contextualized use of English is a rare feature while Urdu stands as the de facto medium of classroom transactions. Grammar-translation methodologies and classrooms activities leave little potential for communicative competence, concept formulation and linguistic internalization. We conclude that although respondents’ support for English-medium policy is rational; however, it is fraught with illusions as neither teaching/learning practices replicate English-medium policy nor bi/multilingual education research supports foreign language as medium for early schooling.

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