2015/05/24

The Recolonization of English Language Education

Speaker: Dr. Stefanie Pillai

English language education in Malaysia has gone through various changes in post-independent Malaysia due to ever-changing education policies. Dr. Pillai began her presentation by talking about the major policies and their impact on English language education in schools and higher education, and the status of English in present-day Malaysia. Her focus was on recent policies, which, she argued, are mirroring the past by once again creating an elite group of English language speakers in a context where English remains a gatekeeping tool among employers. Listening to some of the challenges faced by teachers because of the politicalization of English in Malaysia presented Gunma Chapter attendees with a intriguing perspective of how things might be.

Dr. Stefanie Pillai is the Deputy Dean of Postgraduate Studies at the Faculty of Languages and Linguistics at the University of Malaya in Malaysia. She is also the Chief Editor of the Malaysian Journal of ELT Research.

Location:

Maebashi Institute of Technology

460-1 Kamisadorimachi

Maebashi, Gunma 371-0816

http://www.maebashi-it.ac.jp/access.html

Room #133 on the 3rd floor of the No.1 Building

Time:

May 24, 2015

2:00pm ~ 4:30pm

Attendance:

Members, students, and first-timers: FREE

One-day Members: ¥1,000