Educating the Global Citizen: Policy and Practice in Asian Contexts

Abstract

It is now widely recognized that bilingual competence is the basic attribute of a global citizen. Equipping every citizen with bilingual, and even multilingual, competence is high on the agenda of all education policy makers. In this presentation, I shall provide an overview of recent developments in language policies in Asian countries to meet the challenges posed by globalization, how policies have been translated into practice in the education sectors, and the issues that have arisen from implementation. I will also review some of the common models of bilingual education that have been trialed and implemented. I will point out that despite enormous resources committed by governments, research findings are often inconclusive and sometimes even conflicting. I will explore the mediating factors that might impact on the efficacy of bilingual education and what ESL teachers need to be aware of as they engage in helping students acquire ESL competence in the context of bilingual education.