The Cultural and Economic Politics of English Language Teaching in Sultanate of Oman
Title
The Cultural and Economic Politics of English Language Teaching in Sultanate of Oman
The Cultural and Economic Politics of English Language Teaching in Sultanate of Oman
Keywords: No Keywords
Authors
Dr. Ali S.M. Al-Issa
Sultan Qaboos University, Oman
Dr. Ali S.M. Al-Issa
Sultan Qaboos University, Oman
Bio Data
Dr. Ali S.M. Al-Issa holds a Ph.D. in Education – Applied Linguistics, University of Queensland – Australia. He is an Assistant Professor – English Language & ESP, College of Law Sultan Qaboos University Muscat, Sultanate of Oman.
Abstract
English language teaching (ELT) has been an important global activity and a large business and industry for the past five decades or so. This has been concurrent with the international role English language has been playing on the world arena in the postcolonial/neocolonial age dominated by USA. This paper, hence, triangulates data from different official texts and the pertinent literature. Its aim is to discuss three foci of the cultural and economic politics of ELT with a special reference to the Sultanate of Oman and to delineate the powerful ideological impact underlying them. These foci are 1) English in Oman, 2) ELT within the Omani education system, and 3) ELT outside the Omani education system. The discussion leads to the conclusion that Oman, as a developing Third World Arab country with a shortage in human and physical resources, is culturally and educationally dependant on North America (USA and Canada), Britain and Australia (NABA) for its progress and development.
English language teaching (ELT) has been an important global activity and a large business and industry for the past five decades or so. This has been concurrent with the international role English language has been playing on the world arena in the postcolonial/neocolonial age dominated by USA. This paper, hence, triangulates data from different official texts and the pertinent literature. Its aim is to discuss three foci of the cultural and economic politics of ELT with a special reference to the Sultanate of Oman and to delineate the powerful ideological impact underlying them. These foci are 1) English in Oman, 2) ELT within the Omani education system, and 3) ELT outside the Omani education system. The discussion leads to the conclusion that Oman, as a developing Third World Arab country with a shortage in human and physical resources, is culturally and educationally dependant on North America (USA and Canada), Britain and Australia (NABA) for its progress and development.
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Category: Main Editions, Volume 8 Issue 1
