Disenfranchising the marginalized: the intersectionality of politics of distraction and English-medium education (EME) in Pakistani educational policy

Abstract

ABSTRACT The historical Hindi-Urdu language strife intensified after the Indian ‘Mutiny’ in 1857 played a pivotal role in shaping the two-nation theory, culminating in the partition of the Indian subcontinent in 1947. Under English colonial rule, English language education became synonymous with power and job opportunities, creating divisions within the Muslim community over language preference. Analyzing Pakistan's language education policy through Farley, Leonardi and Donnor's (2021) five components of education policy distraction framework provides a structured approach to evaluate its impact on social mobility and English language education access. The analysis highlights the distractors of English-medium education, which include hierarchical multilingual policy, prioritizing English as the official language, using limited budgeting excuses for not professionally developing public school teachers, reliance on traditional English language teaching methods, and treating English as merely a subject. The findings emphasize the need to reform Pakistan's language education policy to address socioeconomic disparities, promote equitable access to English language education and mitigate the distractors. Recommended reforms include reviewing the advantage of English Medium Education (EME) over public education, increasing funding, enhancing the professional development of English language teachers, drafting and implementing language policies, encouraging public-private teacher exchange programs, and introducing teacher certification and capacity-building initiatives.