Counter-rushing English and EMI: the politics and ideology of rush in the internationalisation of education

Abstract In this paper, I argue that the global spread of English-medium instruction (EMI) is not just about language but also about time. Policies promoting English are often tied to speed, competitiveness, and future-oriented goals, creating pressure to “rush” toward English to succeed. This rush is driven by global forces such governments, universities, and markets, and pushes learners away from their communities and everyday realities. As a counterpoint, I revisit the Philippine community school movement in the mid-twentieth century. These schools emerged from local needs, using vernacular languages to address real issues like farming, health, sanitation, and literacy. They moved at a slower, community-based pace, focusing on the present rather than an imagined global future. This slower temporality briefly challenged English dominance before being overshadowed by Cold War–era acceleration. I use this history to imagine alternative ways of approaching EMI today. Rather than accepting top-down, fast, globally oriented timelines, language education can be slower, community-driven, multilingual, and more meaningful. This is not about rejecting English completely but about questioning its role as a symbol of speed and global competitiveness, and about re-rooting education in local life.