Desire and Marketizing English Version of Education as a Commodity in the Linguistic Market in Bangladesh

Abstract

In recent years, the globalization of English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) policy has grown exponentially, driven by socio-economic, political, cultural, and educational desires and forces. Despite having a well-established elite English-medium education in Bangladesh, EMI-based, a new type of education system has emerged recently at primary and secondary levels called English-version (EV) education. This paper investigates parents' desires to choose EV schools for their children and how those desires contribute to marketizing EV schools as a new and popular commodity in the education market of Bangladesh. Data were collected using open-ended questionnaires from 120 parents of primary school children studying at five EV schools. Moreover, further qualitative data was collected by conducting three follow-up focus group discussions (FGDs) with 14 parents and three key informant interviews (KIIs) with three EV school principals. Findings show that parents believe in the material value and promises of English as a linguistic capital that has implanted multiple desires in them for their children. They aspire for their children in EV to benefit from their improved English skills in the future at a reasonable cost while continuing to uphold Bangladeshi culture and values. In other words, the exponential market of EVs lies in its affordable cost and future benefits, in tandem with an informed distance from the culture associated with the English language.