Medium of instruction is the language that is used in teaching. It may or may not be the official language of the territory. [edit] Media of instruction in different countries and regions - In Australia, most schools use English.
- In Azerbaijan, Azeri is the main language of instruction. Instruction in Russian and to a lesser extent in English on both secondary and post-secondary level is also offered in some educational institutions. Georgian is used as the language of instruction in secondary schools in the Georgian-populated northern regions. Education in Armenian was conducted in some secondary schools until the Nagorno-Karabakh War.
- In Belarus, Russian is used since the government closed all[citation needed] Belarussian language high schools.
- In Belgium, Dutch and French (and German in some parts of Eastern Belgium) are used.
- In Brazil, every public school use Brazilian Portuguese as the medium of instruction, but no law prohibits the use of other languages in private schools. This has led to a great number of schools that use some european language (mainly because of the european heritage) such as English, German, Italian or French. Public schools also have mandatory English and Spanish, but only one or two times a week.
- In Canada, English (or French in Quebec) is the medium in most schools, but Inuit languages are used in the north. See French immersion
- In the People's Republic of China (PRC), Mandarin is used as the medium of instruction in most schools. In elementary and secondary schools for ethnic minorities, the minority languages - such as Mongolian, Tibetan and Korean are also used.
- In Estonia, Estonian is used with 26 schools in the south teaching Võro once a week. The use of Russian is being limited since restoring independence.
- In Finland, Finnish is the language used in most schools, but Swedish, which is also an official national language, is used in a number of schools along the coast and Abo Akademi. The right to education in Swedish is based in the constitution. There are also a few schools where education is given to some extent in Sami in the north. See also Mandatory Swedish.
- In France, legislation restricts languages other than French in state schools. Other languages of France are the medium of instruction in non-state schools such as Diwan Breton language-medium schools and the Calendretas in the south that use Occitan. See Language policy in France
- In Georgia, most schools conduct education in Georgian. The number of Azerbaijani schools is being reduced.[1]
- In Hong Kong, either Cantonese or English is the medium in most schools at the primary and secondary level. English is used almost exclusively at the tertiary level. The use of Cantonese Chinese as a medium of instruction for primary and secondary schools has been a controversial issue in the decade after Hong Kong's handover to China.
- In India, media of instruction switch among English, Hindi, and the respective states’ official languages. Private schools usually prefer one of the first two choices, while public schools tend to go with one of the last two.
- In Ireland, English is used in most schools with a growing number of gaelscoileanna (10%) using Irish.
- In Japan, Japanese is used in most schools (including Universities and Colleges).
- In Latvia, Latvian is used in most schools. The network of Russian-language schools is being reduced. Some Polish-language schools were created after restoration of independence. Education in public minority high schools is conducted mostly in Latvian since 2004, despite wide protests (Russian School Defense Staff).
- In the Isle of Man, English is used, but Manx is being revived with one Manx-medium school at St. John’s.
- In Macau, Cantonese and Portuguese are the two official languages of the region. Cantonese is used as the medium of instruction in many schools. Portuguese is used in Portugal-backed schools. English, which is not an official language of the region, is also used in a lot of schools.
- In Moldova, Moldovan (Romanian) is used but Russian is slowly being introduced[citation needed].
- In New Zealand, English is used in many schools, but a growing number of kohanga reo (kindergarten) and kura kaupapa (primary and secondary school) are using Māori instead.
- In Norway, the medium of instruction is Norwegian.
- In Pakistan, most schools and universities use Urdu and English as medium of instruction.
- In the Republic of China (Taiwan), Mandarin is used as the medium of instruction.
- In Romania, the medium of instruction is Romanian but minorities, such as Hungarian and German, are allowed to teach in their respective languages.
- In the United States, English is used, but in some schools, Spanish, French (in Louisiana,) Hawaiian (in Hawaii) and local Indian languages are used as well.
- In Scotland, English is the primary language of instruction although Gaelic medium education is also available. There is little or no use of Lowland Scots as a medium of education.
- In Slovenia, Slovenian is used throughout the country, but the Hungarian and Italian minority are entitled to primary and secondary education in their language.
- In Switzerland, German, French, Italian, and/or Romansh are used in most schools.
- In Tanzania, Swahili is used in primary schools (seven years), whereas English is used secondary schools (four to six years) and universities.
- In Turkey,English is used in most schools.
- In Wales, while the majority of schools teach through the medium of English, an increasing number teach through the medium of Welsh.
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