The dominant medium of instruction (MOI) in higher education in the twenty-first century is English, a phenomenon largely attributable to the forces of neoliberalism. The widespread use of English as the MOI has led to educational and socioeconomic disparities, particularly in Asian countries such as Bangladesh. Drawing on the theoretical frameworks of neoliberalism and linguistic capital, the present study demonstrates how neoliberal ideologies are reflected in policy discourse and have transformed proficiency in the English language into a form of capital. The study focuses on discourses produced by actors at both the national (macro) and university (meso) levels: the National Education Policy, University Grant Commission policies, and various policy documents of selected private universities, including mission and vision statements, MOI statements, curriculum, textbook recommendations, assessment, admission requirements for the students, and advertisements for faculty positions. The analysis reveals that policymakers' ideologies regarding English as the MOI in Bangladesh represent a shift from nationalism to neoliberalism. This shift effectively advances a covert colonial agenda through various discourses in higher education, particularly those emphasising economics, internationalisation, and Americanisation, thereby reinforcing English as a form of capital in Bangladeshi society.
Rahman et al. (Tue,) studied this question.