ABSTRACT
This chapter describes a multi-layered framework for promoting social justice in English education in Nepal. Global, state, and school-level ideologies underlying English Language Teaching (ELT) and English Medium Instruction (EMI) contribute to reinforcing social injustice in schools and classrooms. Global ideologies characterise English as the global language and essentialise English as a prerequisite to become a global citizen. State ideologies emphasise ‘English-prioritised schooling’, aspiring to develop ‘self-sustainable’, ‘competitive’, ‘innovative’, and ‘value-oriented’ citizens for the development of the nation (SSDP, 2016–23). School ideologies bridge local aspirations with global and state ideologies and stress EMI policies and practice. However, EMI and EM policies are unevenly implemented in schools and classrooms reinforcing the unequal access and opportunities to socially, economically, or regionally marginalised students. Therefore, through a synergy between Critical Policy Discourse Analysis (CPDA) and Critical Pedagogy Approach (CPA), this chapter engages with epistemologies, research theories, and practices while elucidating a multi-layered framework of promoting social justice in English language education. By providing an analysis of multilevel theoretical as well as practical issues, and by drawing inferences from research literature in the Global South, the chapter challenges the existing monolithic mindset of curricula and curricular practices regarding ELT and EMI in Nepal.
