The scramble for EMI: lessons from postcolonial ‘old EMI’ universities

ABSTRACT

While more and more universities in traditionally non-Anglophone countries are moving towards English medium instruction (EMI), those of the nominally Anglophone postcolonial world are carrying on with business as usual. Higher education in many postcolonial countries has typically only ever been available through the language of the former colonisers, so many institutions in former British colonies now find themselves ahead of the global trend. This paper considers what lessons can be learnt from postcolonial ‘old EMI’ universities, as we see more and more institutions swept up in the scramble for EMI. Universities looking to join the neo-Anglophone higher education sector would do well to learn from the decades of experience of many postcolonial universities who are still struggling to create the ideal learning and teaching environments for their students and staff through an L2 medium of instruction, and who may now be wondering why others are choosing to follow suit.

KEYWORDS:

• EMI
• postcolonial
• university
• decolonising

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1 Programmes are currently available in Cook Islands Māori, Fijian, Hindi, Rotuman, Tongan and Niuafo'ou, and Vagahau Niue.