The Challenges of Urdu-Medium Female Higher Education Students in Quetta, Balochistan: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

This research explores the challenges Urdu-medium female students face in higher education due to the bilingual education system in Pakistan. The disparity in language can be inferred from the structural division of education systems in the country, which is divided into English medium, Urdu medium, and madrasa system. Urdu-medium students are very little acquainted with English till their graduation and face various language-related issues as they join universities where usually the medium of instruction is English. The purpose of this research was to investigate the academic and linguistic challenges that Urdu-medium students face at the higher education level in Quetta, Baluchistan. This study was qualitative and included 10 interviews. The data was analyzed by thematic analysis. The findings revealed that due to the bilingual education system, Urdu-medium students get burdened, lose confidence, and get poor grades at the university level. The study helped to highlight these issues and suggested that the government should deal with the evacuation of division between government and private schools by presenting a single medium of instruction in all types of schools at every level .