Medium of instruction

A medium of instruction is a language used by teachers to explain lessons and help students learn. This language might be the country's official language, or it might be different. Sometimes, students learn in a language that is not their first language, especially if their families speak another language at home.

In places where students speak different languages, schools might use more than one language to teach. This is called bilingual education or multilingual education. Experts at UNESCO say it is very important for children to learn in their own mother tongue, which is the language they speak at home.

In universities and special education classes, lessons might be taught in a language that students do not use at home. This is called content-based learning or content and language integrated learning (CLIL). Sometimes, subjects like science or history are taught in English even if it is not the students' first language. This is known as English-medium instruction (EMI).

In different countries and regions

Africa

Ethiopia uses Amharic, Oromo, and other Ethiopian languages in primary education, with English in secondary schools and universities. Kenya uses English from Grade 4, with local languages or Swahili in earlier grades. Nigeria uses English at all education levels. Rwanda uses English exclusively, having switched from Kinyarwanda in 2019. South Africa teaches in home languages up to Grade 3, then switches to English, with some schools using Afrikaans. Tanzania uses Swahili in primary schools and English in secondary and higher education. Uganda uses English from Primary 4, with local languages in earlier grades. Zimbabwe uses English, Shona, and Ndebele until grade four, then switches to English.

Americas

Brazil uses Brazilian Portuguese in public schools, with some private schools offering other European languages. Canada uses English or French, with French standard in Quebec and New Brunswick. In the United States, English is common, but some schools use Spanish, French, Hawaiian, or Native American languages. The Cherokee Nation has a language preservation plan to teach the Cherokee language through immersion programs.

Asia

Azerbaijan uses Azeri as the main instruction language, with Russian and English offered in some schools. Bangladesh uses Bengali and English. China uses Standard Chinese, with minority languages used in some schools. Georgia uses Georgian, with fewer Azerbaijani schools. Hong Kong uses English or Cantonese, with some schools using English for most classes. Israel uses Hebrew, with Arabic for the Arab minority. India varies by state, with English, Hindi, or regional languages used. Japan uses Japanese. South and North Korea use Korean. Macau uses Cantonese, with some schools using Portuguese or English. Pakistan uses Urdu in public schools and English in private ones. Taiwan uses Standard Chinese.

Southeast Asia

Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, and Thailand use their respective national languages in schools. Malaysia uses Malay, with some Chinese and Indian schools using Mandarin and Tamil. The Philippines uses English primarily, with Filipino for certain subjects and regional languages introduced in early grades. Singapore uses English, with children learning a mother tongue. Vietnam uses Vietnamese.

Oceania

Australia uses English, with some schools in Victoria teaching in Greek, Italian, French, Chinese, Arabic, or Japanese. New Zealand uses English, with increasing use of Māori in some schools. Vanuatu uses English and French.

Europe

Belarus uses Russian, with some schools using Belarusian. Belgium uses Dutch and French. Croatia provides education in minority languages. Estonia uses Estonian, with some schools in Russian. Finland uses Finnish, with Swedish in some coastal schools and Sami in the north. France uses French, with some non-state schools using Breton or Occitan. Iceland uses Icelandic, with English as a secondary language. Ireland uses English, with some schools using Irish. Italy uses Italian, with French in Valle D'Aosta and German in South Tirol. Latvia uses Latvian, with education available in minority languages. Lithuania uses Lithuanian, with some schools in Russian or Polish. Moldova uses Moldovan (Romanian), with Russian being introduced. North Macedonia provides education in Albanian. Norway uses Norwegian, with Sami education available. Poland uses Polish, with minority languages used in some areas. Romania uses Romanian, with education in minority languages. Russia uses Russian, with some minority languages used. Slovakia provides education in minority languages. Slovenia uses Slovene, with bilingual instruction in Hungarian areas and Italian in some regions. Switzerland uses German, French, Italian, and/or Romansh. Ukraine uses Ukrainian following the 2017 education law. The United Kingdom uses English, with some schools in Wales teaching in Welsh and Scotland offering Gaelic medium education.