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This article introduces the reader to this Special Issue of The Journal of Asia TEFL, focusing on English as a subject in basic education (ESBE) in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). It discusses the importance of English in the basic education systems of the ASEAN member states: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. Exploring ESBE within the context of ASEAN is important because research into ESBE remains in its infancy, despite the fact that the teaching of English as a subject in the basic education system had been long in place before initiatives on English as a medium of instruction (EMI) emerged. This Special Issue addresses evolving practices and policies related to pedagogy, curriculum, teacher education, and other relevant factors shaping ESBE in the region. The Special Issue gathers a wide array of insights coming from scholars in the ASEAN region and beyond who have conducted various research topics into ESBE, employing a range of analytical frameworks to examine these topics, including socio-cultural theory, complexity theory, grounded theory, and mixed-methods research, highlighting the depth and breadth of the ongoing research in the field. In this article, the significance and relevance of the Special Issue, as well as its overview, are outlined.

This paper examines the enactment of English as a subject in basic education (ESBE) in Singapore through an ecological lens, drawing on van Lier’s (2004, 2010) framework and Zein’s (2022a) conceptualisation. It argues that English in Singapore is not merely a school subject, but a sociolinguistic and curricular anchor central to national development, policy, and identity. The proposed Four-Layer Curriculum Enactment Model captures how policy imperatives, curriculum reform, teacher education, and classroom practice interact across different layers of influence. Using STELLAR, the national language education programme, as a case of curriculum innovation, the paper shows how coherence across policy, curriculum, pedagogy, and teacher preparation has enabled impactful enactment. Singapore’s case illustrates how English functions within a broader ecology, offering a model with potential relevance across ASEAN. Ultimately, it shows how broader questions of educational purpose, national development, and imagined futures are mediated through language and curriculum.

Indonesia has undergone a dramatic policy change with the recent stipulation for making English a compulsory subject in primary schools for the academic year 2027/28. This article examines the teaching of English as a subject in basic education (ESBE) in Indonesia following the policy change, focusing on the challenges faced in the transitionary years from the sixth year of primary level to the first year of secondary level. Using Grounded Theory in the collection of data and analysis, this study investigated the views of Indonesian teachers, school principals, and teacher educators about preparing English learners during the transitionary years of basic education. Findings from the present study demonstrate the complexity of transitions, including the dynamism and challenges entailed. Findings also show that students have been given minimal preparation to transition, occurring at a time when Indonesia is shifting to the policy of compulsory English and to the zonal schooling system. The study also highlights the complex, dynamic, and multidimensional nature of transitions, reflecting the interconnection of internal and external factors in an ecological perspective of language learning where ESBE is integral within the education system.

In Brunei Darussalam, basic education spans primary and secondary schooling, starting at age 5 with Year 0 (preschool) and continuing to Year 11 in government institutions. Following the 2023 update to the Compulsory Education Act, the starting age for formal education was lowered from six to five, effective 1st January 2024. All students follow a standardised curriculum, culminating in the Primary School Assessment (PSR) at the end of Year 6 before advancing to secondary level. The current framework, the National Education System for the 21st Century (Sistem Pendidikan Negara Abad ke-21, SPN21), implemented in 2008, replaced the Bilingual Education System (Sistem Pendidikan Dwibahasa) but retains a bilingual approach, with instruction in Standard Malay and English, alongside English as a subject (ESBE). English has become part of Brunei’s metanarrative for preparing globally competitive citizens, reflected in the allocation of five hours per week for ESBE in primary education and four in secondary. In November 2023, primary school hours were extended from 7.30 a.m.-12.30 p.m. to 7.30 a.m.-3.00 p.m., and 2024 was the first full academic year under the new schedule. This study examines how this reform has affected ESBE and teaching hours, who has been most affected, and what other significant changes have resulted.

The introduction of English into the primary schooling sector in Vietnam has been part and parcel of English as a subject in basic education (ESBE) reform which the government has pioneered ever since it opened up to the West in 1986. The present study aims to explore the factors influencing teachers’ acceptance of digital tools in teaching English to primary students in central Vietnam, with a particular focus on the role of organizational factors in facilitating or hindering technology adoption. A descriptive study design was employed to collect data from 51 primary school teachers through a survey consisting of 25 questions on a 5-point Likert scale, covering four key factors influencing factors: Performance Expectancy, Effort Expectancy, Social Influence, and Facilitating Conditions. The findings shed light on how digital tool acceptance can support digital transformation efforts and enhance educational quality in primary schools. Also, the study offers insights into digital transformation and educational quality improvement in primary schools in Vietnam and beyond.

This case study of six teachers of English as a Subject in Basis Education (ESBE) who fled Myanmar seeking refuge in Thailand provides valuable insights into the sociopolitical aspects of education and the impact of teaching in times of conflict and crisis. Using the lenses of Language Teacher Identity formation (LTI), Communities of Practice (CoP), and Assemblage Theory, this study explored the questions: How did the 2021 military coup in Myanmar impact the teachers' identity, agency, and pedagogy? What was their lived experience? How do these teachers envision their future and the future of education in Myanmar? To contextualize the study, the authors provide a brief background of the sociopolitical context of Myanmar, an overview of its educational systems and ESBE in Myanmar and the impact of the 2021 coup and the military’s brutal crackdown on teachers who protested it by joining the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM). Findings reveal that despite the hardships, these teachers found agency through emerging and changing identities, demonstrated resistance through activism and improved pedagogy, and fostered resilience through participation in new and former communities. This study has implications for pedagogy for teaching in crisis, educational policy, and teacher education in the ASEAN region and beyond.

This study examines pedagogical shifts in English instruction in Philippine basic education by comparing two critical curricula: the K-12 English curriculum and the newly implemented MATATAG Curriculum. While previous studies have analyzed individual curricula, none have compared these two pivotal frameworks to date; therefore, a comparative analysis offers a groundwork for informed decision-making in English language curriculum development. This investigation seeks to trace the evolution of pedagogical approaches, with a particular focus on adopting learner-centered approaches, integrating digital technologies, and promoting inclusive practices. These three instructional perspectives promote forward-thinking, student-centric approaches that align with current educational reforms. Employing content and documentary analysis, and a critical review of curricular frameworks and policy documents, this study is poised to uncover key trends and transformations in pedagogies and to explain how English language instruction in the Philippines has evolved in response to global and local educational challenges and demands. By comparing the pedagogical directions of the K-12 and the MATATAG curricula, this paper provides helpful insights for educators, policymakers, and curriculum developers, contributes to the ongoing discourse on English as a subject in basic education in the Philippines and Asia, and posits plausible recommendations for further improving English language teaching and learning practices.

English language education across the ASEAN region aims to boost global competitiveness, yet persistent gaps between policy ambition and classroom practices remain. In Malaysia, the recent enactment of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), often hailed as a major policy reform, has drawn mixed public reactions. This study examined how Malaysian English language teachers exercised and negotiated agency in implementing the CEFR-aligned English language curriculum through continuous professional development (CPD). Drawing on Nguyen’s (2016) Typology of Teacher Agency and extending it through the conceptualisation of ‘buy-in’ and ‘autonomy’, the study interviewed 15 respondents operating at multiple institutional levels (i.e., school, district, state, and national). The data were then analysed using Naeem et al.’s (2023) Systematic Thematic Analysis Process Model. The findings revealed that teachers utilised adaptive and supportive agencies to contextualise CEFR principles, collaborate through professional learning communities (PLCs), and innovate materials, while compliant and non-engaging agencies were associated with structural constraints, cascade training limitations, and assessment misalignment. The study highlights the need for sustained, dialogic, and context-sensitive CPD to empower Malaysian teachers as active policy actors and ensure meaningful CEFR implementation in English as a subject in basic education (ESBE) classrooms.

This article provides a comprehensive examination of English as a Subject in Basic Education (ESBE) in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, situating it within the broader context of the nation’s language policy and education system. Drawing on policy documents, empirical research, and comparative regional analysis, the article traces the development of English language education policies in Laos, documents the progress achieved in curriculum development and teacher education, and identifies persistent challenges facing ESBE implementation. The analysis reveals that while Laos has made significant strides in integrating English into basic education—particularly through curriculum reform and international partnerships—substantial challenges remain in teacher preparation, resource allocation, and reconciling multilingual realities with instructional practices. Comparative insights from other ASEAN contexts highlight both shared regional challenges and opportunities for collaborative solutions in advancing English language education across Southeast Asia.

In the current national curriculum, communicative competence in English as a subject in basic education (ESBE), is explicitly included among the ten core competencies, positioning English communication as part of the state’s definition of a “Literate Thai” citizen—a citizen who possesses not only foundational literacy and numeracy, but also the communicative skills needed to participate effectively in a globalized society. Although scholars have repeatedly stressed that English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners in Thailand need stronger communicative English abilities, empirical insights into how competency-based teaching and learning (CBTL) is interpreted, implemented, and enacted by ESBE teachers remains scarce, especially in less resourced parts of the country. To address this void, our study employed key stakeholders’ interviews to assess the implementation of CBTL across three private schools in Narathiwat located in Thailand’s three southern border provinces (collectively known as “the Deep South”). This study highlights the role of school-level structures operating at both micro- and macro-organizational scales. Findings reveal that the schools’ shift from a content-driven to a competency-driven English curriculum hinged on policy implementation at the school level, integration of communicative English skills across various subjects, influence of sociocultural and linguistic contexts, and inclusive stakeholders’ engagement. The study suggests practical pedagogical implications regarding the 4C’s: communication, community, culture, and connection with other learning areas and subject disciplines, which can strengthen CBTL of ESBE for teachers and students within Thailand’s Deep South and similar contexts.

English has gained increasing prominence across Southeast Asia due to globalization, economic integration, and its role as a working language of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). In Cambodia, English has emerged as the dominant foreign language and plays a critical role in education, employment, and international engagement. This paper examines the current status of English as a subject in basic education (ESBE) in Cambodia. Drawing on secondary sources, including existing literature and policy documents, the paper discusses the evolution of English language education in Cambodia, its implementation in basic education, and the key challenges affecting the implementation. Key challenges include disparities in educational resources, limited teacher capacity, lack of learning motivation, limited opportunities for authentic language exposure, potential decline of Khmer literacy and loss of indigenous languages, and examination-oriented teaching practices. The paper proposes several strategic directions for strengthening English language education in Cambodia, including improving teacher education and professional development, reforming the English curriculum and assessment, increasing investment in educational resources, enhancing Khmer literacy and indigenous language preservation, and promoting regional collaboration. The paper contributes to the growing body of scholarship on English language education in Cambodia and in Southeast Asia more broadly. It also provides policy-relevant insights for improving English language teaching and learning in Cambodia.

This brief report synthesises findings from teacher interviews and observations conducted in five Asian countries: Bangladesh, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Vietnam. The report explores the qualifications and teaching experience of English for Young Learners (EYL) teachers in Bangladesh, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Vietnam in relation to the multilingual reality of the countries. Examining the issue is timely and significant in the context of ongoing reforms in primary English education around the world, particularly Asia. It is also relevant to understand the nexus of multilingual education of which the EYL classroom has become an integral part, insofar as informing teacher education practices. The findings suggest the necessity for teacher education to shift from a methodology-based program characterising EYL teachers qualifications to one which focuses on proficiency where translanguaging plays a vital role.