ERIC Number: EJ1471457
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025
Pages: 27
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1466-4208
EISSN: EISSN-1747-7506
Available Date: 0000-00-00
Medium of Education and the Politics of Distraction in School Education in Bangladesh
Mohammod Moninoor Roshid1; Phan Le Ha2,3
Current Issues in Language Planning, v26 n3 p392-418 2025
The medium of education (MoE) globally sparks controversy over the ideal medium--mother tongue, target language, or bilingual/multilingual policies. In Bangladesh, diverse MoE options (Bangla medium, English medium, and English version) fuel debates among stakeholders. Amidst this noise, systemic problems are often overlooked, diverting attention from critical educational issues. Drawing on qualitative data from parents' comments in a public Facebook forum in Bangladesh, this article explores factors influencing MoE choices and how this discourse distracts from pressing social and educational concerns. Findings indicate that the government promotes various MoEs for diverse political interests, often failing to provide inclusive and equitable quality education for all. The article also highlights that different factors distract parents from selecting a suitable MoE for their children's education. Social media, with parents' anecdotal comments, often misleads others. Additionally, parents may impose their aspirations on children, ignoring their interests and abilities. This neglect of students' basic needs while promoting diverse MoE exacerbates inequality and social injustice. The article advocates for an equitable, inclusive education system that offers quality education regardless of socioeconomic background, or MoE.
Descriptors: Language of Instruction, English (Second Language), Native Language, Educational Policy, Politics of Education, Educational Quality, Equal Education, Discourse Analysis, Political Attitudes, Educational Planning, Foreign Countries, Participative Decision Making, Parent Participation, Language Planning, Preferences, Parent Aspiration
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Bangladesh
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1Institute of Education and Research, University of Dhaka, Dhaka, Bangladesh; 2Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Institute of Education, Universiti Brunei Darussalam; 3Culture, Communication, and Media and the International Centre for Intercultural Studies, University College London, London, England