Perceptions of school leaders on policy and practice of implementing English as a medium of instruction in Nepalese community schools

Abstract

Community schools have been transitioning from Nepali as a medium of instruction (NMI) to English as a medium of instruction (EMI) over the past two decades. Despite the significant growth in implementing EMI in community schools, there are limited research studies regarding the perceptions of school leaders and the strategies for mitigating the associated challenges. This study aims to explore the perceptions of school leaders towards the implementation of the EMI policy and its practices in Nepalese community schools. It also examines the benefits and challenges of implementing EMI in these schools. Moreover, this study aims to shed light on the strategies for addressing the challenges encountered during the implementation of EMI. This study employed a qualitative case study research design to explore detailed perspectives and experiences of school leaders of community schools. Participants were selected through the purposive sampling technique. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six participants from three community schools located in the rural areas of Nepal. The data obtained from these interviews were analyzed using the procedures of thematic analysis. The results of this study reveal that EMI is perceived as a tool for enhancing communication and facilitating students to express their views. The motives for implementing EMI are driven by the needs of community schools to survive in a competitive environment, where parents strongly desire to send their children to private schools for English education. This study also underlines that community schools have the autonomy to select the medium of instruction. However, the classroom practice of EMI is constrained by the legal mandate of the national curriculum, which specifies that prescribed subjects in school education are to be taught through either the English or Nepali medium. The responses of participants also indicate that the implementation of EMI in community schools presents both benefits and challenges. The benefits for students are perceived as enhancing English language skills, promoting access to the science stream in Grade 11, facilitating pathways to higher education at both national and international universities, and increasing opportunities for employability. In addition to these benefits, this study also reveals that EMI is beneficial for increasing the number of students. The challenges of implementing EMI include shortages of EMI teachers, inadequate English proficiency of students, limited teaching materials and insufficient financial resources to provide salaries for private teachers. These challenges signify how EMI was implemented without the prerequisite preparations. Moreover, the findings of this study reveal that bilingual instruction is employed to mitigate the challenges of low English proficiency of both teachers and students. The recruitment of private teachers through internal resources of schools and the use of local materials as teaching aids are also strategies for addressing the existing challenges. This study concludes that EMI is not only a choice of community schools but also essential for maintaining their sustainability due to the rapid expansion of private schools and regaining the trust of parents to increase student enrollment.