English language in Bangladesh: Challenges and prospects

Abstract

Global literacy skills, namely proficiency in English and technology, have affected globalization, which has profoundly impacted the political, socio-economic and cultural dimensions of our society. In response to changes brought about by globalization, all countries are attempting to ensure the adequate equipment of global literacy skills. Nowadays, English has become the de facto lingua franca of international communication and a much sought-after commodity. In Bangladesh, English is the language of the educated elite and not commonly used in daily interactions. Now, Bangladesh is faced with the grim reality of lagging behind neighbouring countries which are moving ahead in terms of access to the world market. This study aims to address the current understanding of English language education policy and scenario in Bangladesh. The findings reveal that though CLT based English language curriculum has been operating in the secondary level in Bangladesh in 1996 and revised again in 2012, most teachers are not familiar with CLT guidelines and CLT related activities. Besides this, there are some crucial factors which demand great attention in order to change the current scenario. As a result, there are inconsistencies between the stated objectives of Teaching English and the actual teaching techniques.