English-medium instruction at the primary level in Thailand: any space for a minority language?

One of the features of the growing prominence of English across Asia is the proliferation of English-medium instruction (EMI) programmes at all levels of education, driven by a neoliberal agenda which places a disproportionate value on English over other languages. This has led to the spread of EMI beyond the borders of central urban contexts and into peripheral, rural areas, including those where minority languages are used. This presentation will report on a study conducted in one such area, the Deep South of Thailand, where most of the population differs from the rest of the country in terms of their L1 (Pattani Malay) and their religion (Islam). The objective of this research was to describe language policy implementation at an Islamic primary school in Narathiwat by drawing on classroom observation (conducted over several months with different age-groups and across different subjects) and interviews with local actors (administrators, teachers, students and parents). Results point to the existence of a clear language hierarchy at the school. At the top are English and Thai, the former being the dominant language of instruction and the latter typically used as an alternative medium to support learning. While local actors were successful in crafting spaces for other languages to be used, these largely favoured Arabic (as the language of Islam) and Bahasa Malaysia (as the national language of the neighbouring country), with Pattani Malay being largely marginalized. This hierarchy highlights the fact that the ‘national language plus English’ model of language policy is legitimated by a powerful ideological nexus between neoliberalism and nationalism, one in which little space is left for other languages to flourish. We conclude with a call for more grass-roots initiatives which can assist local actors to craft new spaces for minority languages to be used in EMI programmes.