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Malaysia’s English-Medium Instruction Policy through Spolsky’s Language Policy Framework: A Critical Review

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English-medium instruction (EMI) has been promoted in multilingual education systems as a means of improving English proficiency, expanding access to scientific knowledge, and strengthening international competitiveness. In Malaysia, the Teaching and Learning of Science and Mathematics in English (PPSMI) policy represented a major attempt to pursue these objectives while generating tensions concerning national identity, classroom feasibility, and educational equity. This critical narrative review examines the implementation of PPSMI and the relationship between formal policy intentions and their enactment in educational settings. Relevant literature on Malaysian EMI and language-in-education policy was reviewed and analysed through a deductive-inductive thematic approach. Spolsky’s language policy framework guided the analysis of three interconnected dimensions: language practices, beliefs and ideologies, and language management, while policy-practice tensions, educational equity, and teacher agency were examined as cross-cutting themes. The review identifies recurring misalignment between English-oriented policy expectations and classroom language practices, competing pragmatic and nationalist orientations toward English and Bahasa Malaysia, uneven institutional and teacher capacity, and differences in learners’ access to EMI. Teachers’ bilingual adaptations further illustrate how formal language requirements were mediated in response to classroom conditions. The review concludes that sustainable EMI policy depends not simply on selecting English as a medium of instruction, but on aligning policy objectives with institutional readiness, stakeholder beliefs, multilingual classroom practices, and educational equity.

Turning English into a Second Language in Vietnam’s Education System: A Language Policy Analysis

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The year 2025 marks a critical turning point in Vietnam’s language education policy with the official approval of the national project to transform English into a second language within the education system. This paper critically examines the policy Making English a Second Language in Schools (2025–2035, Vision 2045) through Spolsky’s (2004) tripartite model of language policy, focusing on language ideologies, language management, and language practices. Drawing on policy documents, government resolutions, and secondary sources, the study situates the policy within Vietnam’s broader historical, sociopolitical, and sociolinguistic context of post–Đổi Mới reform and globalization. The analysis reveals that the policy is underpinned by a strong ideology of linguistic instrumentalism, positioning English as a key resource for national development, global integration, and workforce competitiveness. At the level of language management, the policy demonstrates ambitious, centralized planning through curriculum reform, teacher development, English-medium instruction, and digital transformation. However, language practices across educational contexts reveal persistent gaps between policy aspirations and classroom realities, particularly in rural and disadvantaged regions. Uneven teacher preparedness, infrastructural disparities, exam-oriented pedagogies, and emerging equity concerns challenge the sustainable implementation of English as a functional second language. The paper argues that while the policy represents a significant shift from foreign language education toward systemic bilingualization, its long-term success depends on contextualized implementation, teacher agency, and equitable resource allocation. Ultimately, English should function as an inclusive communicative resource rather than a gatekeeping mechanism, ensuring that national modernization does not exacerbate existing social and linguistic inequalities.