Science and technology education in English: a case study of language policy in Malaysia

Abstract

This case study examines the revival of English as the language of science and technology education in Malaysia. The language-in-education policy was initiated in 1993 at the tertiary level and extended to the primary and secondary levels in 2003. We elucidate factors behind the policy by reviewing the relevant literature and documents dated from the colonial period to the present. Our findings show that several factors influenced the policy decisions of teaching science and technology in English. The most prominent factor is globalization. It is a multifaceted phenomenon that has affected not only business but also education. In the increasingly globalized knowledge economy, English has become lingua franca of business. In science and technology, moreover, English has become the dominant language for communication. Science and technology crosses over the both business and education as corporate research and development and higher education have been globalized. Also, the Malaysian business sector prefers to recruit young people fluent in English as their operations have globalized. The language-in-education policy has also implications for cultural policy and ethnic policy in Malaysia as the multi-ethnic and multi- linguistic society.