From policy to performance: English language education in the far western region of Mongolia

This study examines English language education in Mongolia by combining a critical analysis of the government’s current English language policy with an investigation of regional performance in English, focusing on three far western provinces—Uvs, Khovd, and Bayan-Ölgii—that are characterized by a distinct multilingual and multidialectal landscape. We first analyze the policy document to identify key policy priorities and to unpack their underlying problem representations and ideological orientations. We then examine English language performance in the three western provinces, using aggregated regional average scores of two national assessments. By connecting the policy analysis with an examination of regional performance, we explore how a national policy intersects with local educational conditions. Our analysis points to a fundamental tension between the policy’s neoliberal vision, driven by global forces and the local realities that challenge its realization. Although the current policy sets ambitious goals for expanding and improving English language education across the nation, unequal access to educational resources and opportunities, compounded by geographic contraints, risk reinforcing existing socioeconomic disparities, educational inequities, and the urban-rural divide facing Mongolia. The implications of the policy are discussed in relation to the distinctive geographic and sociocultural dynamics of Mongolia‘s three western border provinces.