Exploring Logos of Translanguaging in Language Planning of Pakistani Education System

Abstract

As a multilingual country, Pakistan faces innumerable problems in language in education policy and medium of instruction in educational institutions (Ammar et al. 2015; Mehboob. 2017; Channa, Manan & David, 2020) There is an intellectual divide among the proponents of English, Urdu and regional languages. English is important for science and education while Urdu reflects the national sense of pride. A history of ethnic strife has also led to the rise of regional and provincial sense in the context of languages. This paper attempts to investigate attitudes towards these languages and the choice of language as a medium of instruction. The focus is to examine code switching or translanguaging in classrooms. The findings of the study are based on data generated though a questionnaire and audio/video recording of classroom lectures. Among the respondents of the study are included 300 students and 30 instructors of three educational universities in Islamabad. The survey conducted through questionnaire examines the attitude of students towards the use of language while classroom sessions have been recorded and transcribed to authenticate the quantitative data. The study reveals that there is no uniform approach to the use of language and variation in the respondents’ pattern of thinking. This cognitive persona of respondents shows that they are not decisive about choosing medium of instruction. The study recommends designing and implementation of the practice of translanguaging that maintains cultural pluralism and is flexible and accommodative to increase linguistic resources in an educational setting.