Bangladesh: Crash program to learn English?

[Harold F. Schiffman]

>>From the Independent (Bangladesh)

Learning English

English, the language of the despised colonial rulers, is no more disliked
in the former colonies of Great Britain that spawned one of the greatest
empires the world had ever seen. English is now regarded as one of the
better colonial legacies, a civilising and unifying force in a strife-torn
world. For the first time in history, the language spoken in the British
Isles appears to have become a truly global language. Other nations or
peoples - the French, the Arabs, the Italians and the Spanish-- also built
empires . French and Spanish remain the second language spoken extensively
in Northern Africa and South America respectively. But none can compete
with the status of English as the first-ever truly universal language.

Even in Europe where national identities continue to be fiercely defended,
some French people who would loathe to learn or converse in the English
language in the past are seen not averse anymore. The Chinese, Japanese
and Koreans in Asia who have been particularly successful in preserving
their distinct languages, are, nonetheless, seen warmly receptive to the
English language. They actually encourage their young ones to learn to
speak or write English.

The main reason for the worldwide appeal of English is its functional
utility. English is the supreme language in the international information
superhighway; making optimum use of the Internet is unthinkable without
English proficiency. In the United Nations, English remains dominant in
its position as the main language of communication and diplomacy. More
significant is English's use round the world for commercial purposes: to
build commercial contacts, for commercial transactions and all other forms
of commercial activities. Thus, the countries have realised well that it
pays to learn English.

Bangladesh foe some time evinced a rather parochial attitude towards
English, officially, in its early years. English was sought to be replaced
by Bengali with a vengeance that led to a whole generation remaining
nearly ignorant of English. Those who got degrees in the seventies were
found to be poorly educated in English. Many of them who became English
teachers are still not considered to be as good in their profession like
their senior colleagues. The elderly English teachers have retired in many
cases and their positions are increasingly difficult to fill with
competent persons. Therefore, the standard of English teaching in the
schools is declining. Steps need to be taken for an improvement in the
situation and this may include: raising the retirement age of senior and
capable English teachers, imparting of regular on the job English training
courses to their junior colleagues and creating facilities or workshops of
the sort conducted by the British Council--all over the country -- to
facilitate the learning of English. As reported by our Faridpur
correspondent in Thursday's The Independent, shortage of English teachers
is affecting English education. This is as true of Faridpur as of any
other area of the country. A crash programme is necessary to undo the past
mistakes.

http://independent-bangladesh.com/news/jan/28/28012006ed.htm