By Amol Padwad

In this first post from India, I propose to briefly sketch a scenario of higher education in India. I will follow this up with further discussions of specific issues, aspects and trends, which seem relevant to the MODISH project.

India has a massive higher education system, with over a thousand universities and about 45000 higher education institutions and 38.5 million students, as the recent All India Higher Education Survey (AISHE, 2020) reported. However, access to higher education is not equitably available across the country, and considerable disparities exist in terms of gender, socio-economic status, location and socio-cultural background. English and EMI (English Medium Instruction) have a very strong presence in the Indian higher education, especially in STEM disciplines, which is a legacy carried forward from the long British colonial rule. The significant presence of English and EMI adds to the complexity of issues around inclusion/ exclusion in Indian higher education, as unequal opportunities and provision for learning English during school years engender issues of inadequate English competence for many sections of the population. Another dimension of the inclusion/ exclusion issues in higher education was brought into sharp relief during the COVID pandemic – the availability of and access to digital technology, especially in terms of efficient devices, connectivity and service providers. Access to the internet and smart phones has been very uneven across the country, with the poor, rural and younger generations most adversely affected.

In this context, a systematic exploration of the three-way association between English, EDI and technology holds huge potential for higher education in India. As India rolls out a new National Education Policy (NEP 2020) and aspires for a nearly two-fold jump in gross enrolments in higher education by 2030, these three dimensions of English, EDI and technology are of critical significance. No plans can be made effectively, nor implemented successfully, for such massive expansion of higher education unless and until issues around English-EDI-technology are adequately explored, understood and addressed. Obviously, the current MODISH project holds immense value and potential for a country like India. It is hoped that the project will help in developing a better and richer understanding of the links between these three dimensions, in identifying some concrete and practicable insights on not just various related issues but also possible ways to address them, and in informing policies and actions for the foreseeable future.

Currently, higher education in technical-professional disciplines is almost exclusively in English, while it is a preferred choice of medium in other disciplines too. English proficiency also matters a lot in employment and careers. Thus, proficiency in English is one crucial factor impacting access to and success in higher education. As a consequence, EMI has been rapidly rising in school education, particularly in the private sector, with associated issues of affordability. Typically, such underprivileged sections as the poor, the rural population, girls and religious minorities face the brunt of exclusion in the school years, which continues into higher education as well. Various affirmative actions are in place to support these sections, but these actions largely focus on the economic and access issues. The issues of English proficiency, and more recently, adequate access to technology, remain largely unaddressed. As a result, many among those who are supported to get into higher education continue to lag behind in terms of performance, achievement, employment and career progression

By Jinlan Tang

The importance of English and English education

Since the implementation of its reform and opening-door policy, English language instruction has increased in importance in China’s education system. Presently, English is a subject of study from primary school and a mandatory course for university students of all majors. Regarded as the language of globalization, English is predicted to face challenges that will exert a significant impact on its development and its future as a global language. Therefore, there is a need to investigate the current use of English and English language teaching, learning and assessment in China, and predict the future of English in the wider context of multilingualism and multilingual education.

Technology-enhanced English education and EDI

Importantly, with the sharp rise of digital technology, artificial intelligence, and the ecological perspective in language education, it appears that online English language teaching and learning will be a significant growth area. In fact, technology has been widely used in Chinese universities to improve English language teaching and learning, a trend which is set to influence the future of English education. Due to China’s varied topography and relatively unequal social economic development between different areas, technology has always been considered as a viable means to share quality educational resources and to promote equity in education, a key mission of the government. In this sense, more emphasis needs to be given to equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in teaching, learning and assessment.

Why this project matters to us

The project, with its focus on higher education, will track and evaluate the impact of the growing use of digital/mobile technology on regional and local ecologies of teaching, assessment and learning of English. The project is significant in that it offers insights into trends in terms of: (a) how technological innovation, which drives contemporary learning and communication in English, is shaping the future of the language in education, particularly higher education; (b) whether issues of gender, equality, diversity and inclusion will be an important consideration in the future of English; (c) the role that English plays as a linguistic resource alongside other languages; (d) policy and practice implications for the development of English in Asia.

What we hope to learn through this project

This project is important for students, educators and researchers in China. By exploring the current status of English language teaching, learning and assessment in and out of classroom settings, we can better understand localized pedagogy, effective teaching modes, fostering well-being in education, and affordances of technology-enhanced language education, which may provide insightful implications for the sustainable development of English language education in China.

Besides, we will also examine particular emerging trends around English use and education in China at the moment. Potential challenges teachers and students face in English language teaching and learning can also provide some directions and set the agenda for future pedagogical innovations in higher education.