THE MEDIUM OF INSTRUCTION DIVIDE IN PAKISTAN-IMPACTON LEARNERS’ PROFILE

Abstract

Both English and Urdu are widely being spoken and written in various fields in Pakistan-the former as an official and the latter as a national language. The education sector is no exception. This fact has created a linguistic divide in academia-primarily referred to as Urdu and English medium. Since the inception of Pakistan, both the systems are being run parallelly. The Urdu medium schools are state-run and usually provide free education, while the English medium schools are privately run and charge fees from learners. The children from high middle and elite class study in English medium schools. These two mediums are more than systems when analyzed with the learners now gaining higher education in colleges and universities. They constitute a profile and signal a future based upon them-all due to the level of English proficiency. This qualitative study was conducted to understand better their current academic and future professional profile built by the two types of learners enrolled in a college or a university for their higher education. The findings highlight the impact of linguistic inequality being practiced in the country on the students' self-image and future career. The study recommends the need for a uniformed medium, a uniformed language policy, and the engagement of language practitioners with the national policymakers.