English: Looking for the lost language

Recently Bangladesh has woken up to the understanding that she cannot play a proper role in the world arena unless she is strong in English. Like in other countries of the world, the importance and demand for English is felt deeply here in Bangladesh. Unfortunately the moment when the demand for English is so high, there persists a great weakness and a vacuum in English language in Bangladesh. Our utter weakness in English is an impediment to many activities, be it going abroad for higher studies or getting a job, communicating widely and effectively with foreign countries, entering the IT world, or developing the quality of higher education by extracting knowledge from the treasure of modern knowledge preserved in English. Unfortunately, a huge part of the educated population at present is almost incapable of writing, reading, and speaking English.

There was a time when Bangalees were well-known for their proficiency in English. One must wonder why there has been such a marked deterioration in the standard of English in Bangladesh. Immediately after the independence of Bangladesh, there was a euphoria regarding Bangla. While it was correctly identified that Bangladeshis as a nation will emerge stronger if they revived their love for Bangla and Bengali culture, English was wrongly and irrationally considered to be an adversary to Bangla. In fact, the step-motherly attitude to English cannot be a pre-condition for learning Bangla. Most of the people in our country do not know that there are many famous litterateurs and writers in Bangla who have their highest degrees in English. Some others are just as proficient in English as they are in Bangla. Due to the suicidal policies introduced during the post-independence era, Bangladesh has suffered a tremendous set back in terms of losing a tool of instruction that is so much needed.

As a teacher in a university, I am shocked to find that many students who are otherwise good in their subject, cannot write a single sentence in English correctly. Even the students who obtain good marks in English in their public examinations cannot write compositions independently. Most of the good books at the university level are written in English, but the students cannot read them. The condition of spoken English is worse still. What kind of

English do they learn in the long twelve years before coming to university? The students of Bangladesh generally memorise everything including grammar, composition, letters, applications, paragraphs, essays, and so an, and reproduce them in the examination. They never learn the language.

There are three main reasons behind the weakness of English among the students entering universities. Firstly, students do not need English outside their class room in their real life nor do they need it in learning other subjects; as a result there is no practice of English. Secondly, although the English text books at the primary and secondary levels are reasonably good there is great dearth of teachers trained in teaching these books. Thirdly, the existing education and examination system in general and English education system in particular are far from being ideal.

There is a great dearth of English teachers in the primary and secondary schools. Firstly it is difficult to get teachers who know English well; secondly, most of them are not trained in teaching English. Most of the teachers are not trained from a Primary Training Institute (PTI) or a Teachers' Training College (TTC). A very few of the trained teachers are capable of teaching English. Emphasis should be given on training for learning and teaching English in PTI and TTCs. There are again dearth of trainers of English in these training centers. In order to produce capable master-trainers, people may be sent abroad for training. A strong team like this in turn can produce trainers within the country.

There are nearly one lakh primary schools and seventeen thousand secondary schools in Bangladesh. More than a lakh English teachers are needed. It is a gigantic and difficult task to teach all of them English and train them in teaching English. With the help of private initiative, foreign agencies, NGOs and government initiative, many English language centres may be established in order to produce efficient teachers in the primary and secondary levels. There can be coordinated and complementary crash programs in these centres. There is need for pressure, incentive, and motivation for this kind of training. If needed, teachers may take training at their own expense in order to enhance English teaching capability.

Until the stagnancy and inappropriateness in the pre-university education are removed, special steps should be taken in universities regarding this. There should be a compulsory English language course in all the departments in all the faculties in a university. The course and the methodology of its teaching should be such that the students can effectively learn the language. There may be set up an English Language Institute in each university, which can prepare the courses and the books, carry out research, supply the logistics and take the charge of teaching the courses. Alternatively a special English language cell may be created in the English department, which can shoulder similar responsibilities. In the Honours degree and Master's programmes of English in universities, the courses are basically literature-oriented, not language oriented. Our country, however, needs English language education. We need such graduates who will develop overall skill in reading, writing, listening and speaking English. With this end in view, Applied English Linguistics Departments may be opened in our universities.

In Dhaka and in other big cities in Bangladesh there has been sudden mushrooming of English coaching centres. These centres have their own courses and their own method of teaching. There is no quality control of teaching in these centres. The main aim of most of these centres is amassing money and there is doubt about their good intention and sincerity. Most of the coaching centres are of low standard and these are not helpful for enhancing efficiency in English. Students think that a coaching centre is a quick fix and they almost invariably forget that unless they practice English outside the class room they cannot learn the language.

The present government since the assumption of power, has been emphasising English education for human resource development. Honourable Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia in her inaugural address to the nation after taking the charge this term, underscored the importance of English education. Since then in many speeches on different occasions, she has laid emphasis on learning English language. I was deeply impressed when I found her to remind the nation the importance of English for the progress of Bangladesh in this new millennium on an emotional day like the immortal Ekushey. That's what is called statesmanship -- the courage to tell the nation what is to be told for the sake of building the nation -- to lead the nation with steadfastness and vision. Many of the steps taken by the government to improve the English language scenario in Bangladesh are praiseworthy.

There is a great need for the establishment of a National English Language Centre in Bangladesh. Our neighbouring countries like India, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Malaysia have English language centres at national as well as regional level. These countries were immensely benefited by such centres. The National English Language Centre will monitor and guide the total affair of English language education in Bangladesh. This centre will coordinate English language teaching in primary, secondary, higher secondary and university level. All formal and non-formal English language education program should be within the purview of this centre. It will monitor English language teaching in English medium schools and private universities. Quality control of English teaching for each of the coaching centre will have to obtain approval of the national centre. This centre will produce books on English language teaching and training, develop best possible ways to learn English language, collect logistics and use relevant technologies. It will arrange training for trainers both home and abroad. The centre will build a bridge between the ministry of education or the government with all the relevant institutions . It will utilise all the media -- newspapers, radio centres, TV centres and the Internet to make people aware of all its activities. The regional centre and the language laboratories will be under this centre. The national centre will carry out research on English language teaching.

It is not easy to fill up the huge vacuum that has been created in the last three decades. There have been many writings, discussions, deliberation and seminars on this problem, but there has not been much progress in its alleviation. There are some academicians, administrators and intellectuals who have profound knowledge in English, vivid understanding of the problems faced by Bangla speaking people in learning

English and management and organisational capabilities. None the less it does not seem they can do anything separately. Rather the government can play a vital role in the transition from the present weak situation of English by bringing those people together for a single purpose.

The writer is the Pro-Vice-Chancellor of National University.