An Introduction to the SLATE Project

Abstract

In many parts of the world today, English is seen as the language of higher education and knowledge production. For example, in countries and territories such as Hong Kong, India, Nigeria, Pakistan and the Philippines, a large number of universities and colleges use English as the medium of instruction, even though these countries have recognised national languages. These national languages are typically used in primary and secondary schools, but then replaced with English in tertiary education (although English is increasingly being introduced as a medium of instruction in primary and secondary schools, at least for some subjects). The choice of adopting English in tertiary education in such countries is a result of a combination of complex historical, political and attitudinal factors — historical in that the five countries listed were all colonised by English-speaking countries, political in that these countries are multilingual and English is seen as a ‘neutral’ language, and attitudinal in that a large proportion of the population believes that English is key to educational and scientific development. Regardless of the reasons for institutionalising English in tertiary education in these countries, the fact remains that English is the medium of instruction in institutions of higher education in many countries around the world, even though a large number of students who attend these universities have limited proficiency in English.