Introduction
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English-medium education
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"English Medium" redirects here. For the 1999 Malayalam film, see English Medium (film).
An English-medium education system is one that uses English as the primary medium of instruction—particularly where English is not the mother tongue of the students.
Initially associated with the expansion of English from its homeland in England and the lowlands of Scotland and its spread to the rest of Great Britain and Ireland, the rise of the British Empire increased the language's spread,[1][2] as has the increased economic and cultural influence of the United States since World War II.[3][4]
A working knowledge of English is perceived as being valuable; for example, English is very dominant in the world of computing. As a result, many states throughout the world where English is not the predominant language encourage or mandate the use of English as the normal medium of instruction. * A medium of instruction (plural: usu. Mediums of instruction, but the archaic media of instruction is still used by some) is a language used in teaching. It may or may not be the official language of the country or territory. Where the first language of students is different from the official language, it may be used as the medium of instruction for part or all of schooling. Bilingual or multilingual education may involve the use of more than one language of instruction. UNESCO considers that "providing education in a child's mother tongue is indeed a critical issue".[1] * A medium of instruction is the language used by a teacher to teach students. Simply put, it is a means of conveying information to students. Such a medium could be the official language in the country or it could be the native mother tongue of the students.
In an English speaking country like the United States, the medium of language used by teachers to teach students is English. Any immigrant that comes to the United States from another country would have to learn the language so as to be able to join other students in class. In some types of education, such as multilingual or bilingual education, the teachers may use more than one medium of instruction to teach the students.

Deciding which language to use for instruction is important because it can affect the way the students learn. Someone who grew up speaking French or Russian might not adapt easily to the concept of learning in English. In situations like that, a combination of the mother tongue and the chosen medium of instruction will work better, until the person is more confident in the new language. For instance, if it is a bilingual type of education and the students are a mixture of Spanish and English, the medium of instruction will not be only English, but rather a mixture of Spanish and English. In multilingual education, the language of instruction will not be just one language, it will also include two or more other languages.