Teaching in English is not about politics but quality

By Hans de Wit. When the University of Tokyo announced that, starting this autumn, its first undergraduate degree programmes would be taught entirely in English, this was a major breakthrough for the institution – but did not raise much concern or debate. The university follows in the footsteps of several other Asian universities, in particular from South Korea, Taiwan and mainland China.
In comparison, when the rector of the Polytechnic University of Milan announced in spring that, as of 2014, all of its graduate programmes would be taught in English, there was widespread protest from politicians, the media and academics.
Words such as "illegitimate" and "unconstitutional" were used and the move was seen as "a threat to Italian culture and language".
The difference in reaction to the spread of teaching in English in Asia and in Italy is remarkable. More...