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Dr. Liaquat Ali Channa's Profile

Dr. Liaquat Ali Channa is currently serving Balochistan University of Information Technology, Engineering and Management Sciences (BUITEMS), Quetta as an Associate Professor in the Department of English. He re-joined the department after completing his Ph.D. in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages and World Language Education at the University of Georgia. He teaches courses related to research and practice in applied linguistics at BUITEMS, Quetta. His areas of interest are educational linguistics, language policy and planning, second/ foreign language learning and teaching, bilingual education, and English as a/ the medium of instruction.

Abstract

To Use or Not to Use: The Role of Mother Tongue in English Medium Education

It has been observed that the use of mother tongue (MT) is strictly prohibited and discouraged in English medium education in Pakistani schools. Some educators believe that the use of MT is harmful because it interferes with learning English. Mother tongue usage will not allow English to flourish in students’ minds. Some educators do not keep such views but they do prefer an exclusive use of English for learning and teaching English because they think it is the meaning that is important rather than rules and regulations of learning English. These educators believe the meaning can emerge and be conveyed when the interaction is only in English. These are the broad misconceptions found regarding the use of MT in English medium classes in Pakistan. I intend to dispel these misconceptions through this talk. I argue that MT must be used in English medium classes in a systematic manner because MT is a mediating resource that must be exploited in beneficial ways in Pakistani English medium education. By drawing upon recent research that is informed by Vygotsky and his sociocultural theory, the talk draws implications for MT use for Pakistani educators.