The Role Of Language-In-Education Policy In The Shift Or Maintenance Of The Saraiki Language: A Study Of Elite English Medium Schools In Pakistan

In this study, we investigate the role of language-in-education (L-i-E) policy in determining learners’ (Saraiki educated youth’s) patterns of language use in relation to English, Urdu, and Saraiki languages and in developing their attitudes towards maintenance or shift of their native language, i.e., Saraiki.The main participants in this study are secondary (grade 9-10 and O level) and higher secondary (grade 11-12 and A Level) level learners studying inelite private English medium schools in Pakistan.Participants also included teachers and parents. The study is qualitative in nature. The data was collected by usingobservations, focus group discussions, and interviews. The findings show that the L-i-E policy of the elite Private English medium schools is promoting subtractive bilingualism and is contributing significantly to the shift of the Saraiki language among the educated Saraiki youth in Pakistan.