Impact of English language as a human capital in the higher education institutions’ development strategy

Abstract

Entirely evident, the English language is dominating the academic world, and higher education institutions’ development apparently depends on this skill. As Rhekhalilit and Lerdpaisalwong (2019) point out, “In the era of globalization, English has played a significant role as a global language in different communicative aspects, especially in international academic exchange among scientists, scholars, and researchers” (p. 336). The study aims to highlight the importance of English foreign language (EFL) and its role in the professional and academic development of university lecturers and the development of higher education institutions (HEI) in non-English speaking countries. The study used the qualitative method, and the data were extracted through semi-structured interviews, the data of which are presented in a way of descriptive analysis by writing the opinions of the interviewees in the form of quotes. The findings show that the academic staff strongly supports the role that the English language has in meeting these standards, which directly affects their professional development and the institution’s development they represent. In addition, the study tends to raise the motivation in improving the level of the English language among academic staff, since it concludes this ability is also considered to be a human capital in institutions of higher education. The relevance of EFL knowledge by academic staff in HEI is related closely to the institutional development goals.