+ All Categories
Home > Documents > ITllnia Hossain - COnnecting REpositories · identity marker of Hindu. The Hindi-Urdu connict...

ITllnia Hossain - COnnecting REpositories · identity marker of Hindu. The Hindi-Urdu connict...

Date post: 23-Aug-2020
Category:
Upload: others
View: 0 times
Download: 0 times
Share this document with a friend
20
ITllnia Hossain Engnsh as GlobaI Language in Post-ColoniaI South Asia: Perspective on Bangladesh English has gained status ofgiobaHanguage in 1900’s. This is revolutionary period in the neld oflinguistics varieties. ln this decade intemet emerged, awarenes of the crisis of endangered language increases and also increases public awareness ofthe position ofEnglish as global language (Crystal,2003),Without question most people will agree in the world that English is global language. Undoubtedly English is regarded as global language. lt is either used as first language, sec language or as fi)reign language in almost every country of the world. ltisbyno means divested itself of cultulal public context. English plays two important roles: one is that in post-colonial contexts. ln many countries, English plays an important role in the educational systems where English had always been an elite language,and another is that it creates inequalities in the society. At the same tim English is seen as an essential instrument in the economic development. lt distinguishes the well~educated and economically advantaged urban dwellers fiom the undereducated and economically distressed rural population. At the same time, English is now emerging all over the world as medium of communication。 lt is said that English was in the right place and at the right time (Crysta1, 2003).English was language ofBritish colony at the 19th century as well as the leader of the industrial revolution. ln the 20th century, it became language of super economic power U.S.A.and also it is the language oftechnologies, linguistic opportunities,intemet,broadcasting authorities.AIl these incidcnts make English ワ6
Transcript
  • ITllnia Hossain

    Engnsh as a GlobaI Language in Post-ColoniaI

      South Asia: Perspective on Bangladesh

      English has gained status ofgiobaHanguage in 1900’s. This is a revolutionary

    period in the neld oflinguistics varieties. ln this decade intemet emerged, awareness

    of the crisis of endangered language increases and also increases public awareness

    ofthe position ofEnglish as a global language (Crystal,2003),Without a question

    most people will agree in the world that English is a global language. Undoubtedly

    English is regarded as a global language. lt is either used as a first language, second

    language or as a fi)reign language in almost every country of the world. ltisbyno

    means divested itself of a cultulal public context. English plays two important

    roles: one is that in post-colonial contexts. ln many countries, English plays an

    important role in the educational systems where English had always been an elite

    language,and another is that it creates inequalities in the society. At the same time,

    English is seen as an essential instrument in the economic development. lt

    distinguishes the well~educated and economically advantaged urban dwellers fiom

    the undereducated and economically distressed rural population. At the same time,

    English is now emerging all over the world as a medium of communication。

      lt is said that English was in the right place and at the right time (Crysta1,

    2003).English was a language ofBritish colony at the 19th century as well as the

    leader of the industrial revolution. ln the 20th century, it became a language of a

    super economic power U.S.A.and also it is the language oftechnologies, linguistic

    opportunities,intemet,broadcasting authorities.AIl these incidcnts make English

     ワ6

  •  English as a GIobal Language in Post-CoIonial South Asia: Perspective on Ban9ladesh

    as an intemationally leading language politically, economically and academically.

       The history of English education in Bangladcsh has been the history of

    coIonization.English gained a foothold in the subcontinent (Bangladesh,lndia and

    Pakistan)with the advent ofBritish rule which lasted almost fi)r 200 years. During

    the British period(1757-1935),English become the m4jor language of

    administration,govemment, and intemational relations in the subcontinent. The

    accesstojobswascloselytiedtotheknowledgeofEnglish.KJIowledge of English

    was limited to a ccrtain number of people. The British came to Bengal in 1757 and

    were present unti1 1935; no reliable data are available regarding language policy

    and education p011cy. lt is assumed that there was no specific language and

    education policy at that time・ lt is a1so not evident the British wanted to teach

    English to the people of the lndian subcontinent. Rather,the situation is opposite・

    At first, the British placed importance on Iocal languages, but it was the lndians

    who at first wanted t0 1eam the English language. For instance in 1 820, the people

    of the town Panswell expressed their desire t0 1eam English and they wrote to the

    Govemor of Bombay that “t0 1eam English that we may be empIoyed in your

    service and maintain ourselves” (Parulekar 1955:133, quoted in Rahman, 1995, p・

    30).ln 1823, the Govemor ofBombay wrote that,

       “A man with such knowledge of English as we require, would easily get 150

    0r 200 rupees as a clerk to a merchant” (Basu 1952: 203, quoted in Rahman, ibid).

       lt is to be noted that most of the demands for leaming English came 斤omthe

    Hindus,and the Muslims were anti-British. lt is evident in Shah Abdul Aziz’s

    statement,he mentioned, “it was abhorrent and, therefore,improper to leam

    English, either for a better relationship with the English or for empIoyment under

    the㎡’(Mujeeb 1967: 398, quoted in Rahman, ibid).To some orthodox Muslims,

    English was inimica1. ln 1935, an Educationa1 Committee noted that Arabic and

                                          177

    一八

  • Persian would not be treated as qualifications fbr getting a job. At that moment

    Muslim students understand the importance ofleaming English (Rahman,ibid)。

       Reliable data conceming British language policy can be fbund 丘om the year

    1935.Lord χVilliam Bentinck who was appointed as a Govemor-General lndia in

    1928 accepted the Minute, which was formulated in 2nd February 1935 by Thomas

    Macaulay. His Minute asserts the supremacy of English and χVestem culture.

    BentinckwasavigorouspromoterofEnglisheducationinthelndiansub-continent.

    His main interest was to create an anglicized lndian elite. He aIso recommended

    that vemacular languages should be used among the masses. Maculay was supporter

    ofEnglisheducationandheldthatIocalpeoplewouldwelcomethisminuteifitled

    to incrcase empIoyment. This change can be observed in 1835 (the Govemor-

    General-in,CounciPs resolution)which declares:

       “The great object of the British govemment ought to be the promotion of

    EuTopean literature and science among the natives of lndia; and that all the funds

    appropriated fk)r the purpose of education would be best empIoyed in English

    edueation aIone” (Sharp 130, quoted in Rahman, 1995,p.37)。

       He aIso suggested that Madrassah (lt is one kind of Boarding SchooIs where

    religious education is taught to the students usually to the poor students)and the

    Sanskrit college of the Muslims should be abolished and no sch01afship will be

    given for onentaI studies and all the Arabic and Sanskrit books should be ceased. lt

    really creates an agitation among the lndians especially those who were supposed

    to Iose their income and social status because of this change (Rahman,ibid).The

    reaction of the Muslims was very extreme because they thought that they would

    suflbr if Madrasah 丘om Calcutta were abolished. As Madrassah was a source of

    income for many Muslims, some Muslims held the view that the Govemment

    wanted to transfer people to Christiamty. The agitation continued but the policy

    remained unchanged. 0n the other hand, the reaction of the Hindu Bengali was

      178

    一七九

  •  En911sh as a Global Language in Post-Colonial South Asia: Perspective on Ban9ladesh

    divided into two groups. 0ne approved of westemizationand thc other supported

    traditionalism.The traditionalists organized themselves and establishcd Dharma

    Sabha(a kind of religious meeting).The lndians reaction to the Macaulay Minute

    wasambivalentanddividedthroughouttheBritishperiod.Those who were working

    fbr the British were supporters ofthis policy and the others were not. This language

    policy increased theuseof English in all domains of lndia especially in the higher

    leveIoftheJudiciary.ActuallytheBritishdesiredthattheEnglishshouldeventually

    be the language of business throughout the country. However, Lord William

    Bentinck realized that the imposition of English language for al1 10cal languages

    would be impossible and then in one Resolution Governor-General-in-Council

    declared that lndian people could conduct Judicial and fiscal proceedings in any

    language that they understand. Thissortofcontroversywentonatthetimeofthe

    British and the British did not formulate any clear language p011cy. However,the

    lndian elites were the supporters of an overa1I British language stance (Rahman,

    ibid)。

      ln 19471ndia gained its independence from the United Kingdom and then

    Pakistan separated fiom lndia. Language plays an important play in Muslim

    separatism in South Asia. Hindi was a part of the Hindi separatism and also the

    identity marker of Hindu. The Hindi-Urdu connict constantly divides lndia and

    Pakistan.Historically,East and West Pakistan fought fbr their identity. Bengali was

    the identity fbr the East Pakistan and Urdu for the identities of the West Pakistan.

    ln 1952 the East Pakistan emerged with the language movement Known as “The

    Bhasha AndoIon” (Rahman,ibid).The language movement led to the recognition

    ofBangladesh in 1971. Here l want to explain history of Bangla language.

    一七八

             History of the Bengali Language

    The Bengali language has a 10ng history and in an area that today includes not

                                        IZ9

  • only Bangladesh but also West Bengal and K01kata in lndia. lt is a member of the

    lndo European family of languages. ln the tenth centtlry Bengali emerged from

    Prakrit or Middle lndo-Aryan. The modem Bengali script derives from Brahmi

    Alphabet in 273 t0 232 BC. ThehistoryoftheBengalilanguagecanbedividedinto

    three periods: 01d Bengali (950-1350),Middle Bengali (1350-1800)and Modem

    Bengali(1800 to the present day)(Bengali language: Retrieved August 3 1 , 2006,

    丘om http://1anguages.iIoveindia.com/bengali.html)。

      Only Forty-eight poems of 01d Bengali between the years of 1050-1200 have

    survived.These are knoxvn asdαnノa songs, which are composed by siddhacharyas

    who were Buddhist. Middle Bengali covers, fiom the 14th century to the middle of

    the 1 9th century. The content ofthe 15th century Bengali literature mainly consists

    ofnarrative poetry, the theme ofwhich is basically religious.Among these Krittivas’

    Ramayan,Srikrishnavりaya,Srikrishnakirttan etc. 1 6th centuries Bengali literature

    deaIs with the epic poems. Epic poems ofthat time mainly deal with the stories of

    popular goddesses like Chandi and Manasa. At the end ofthe century, Vaishnavism,

    a new lyrical poetry combined with music, emerged.Seventeenth century literature

    dealt with the romantic verse, and was mostly composed by Muslims. The romantic

    verse Sati Mayana was written by the Bengali Daulat kazi, the nrst Bengali

    Arrakanese poet who wrote romantic verse. Secular poetry and narrative verse took

    an amnity in eighteen century Bengali literature; at the end ofthis century, the Kavi

    and Panchali forms ofpoetly came into being (ibid)。

      The nineteen-century was a period when the renaissance of Bengali took

    place.The ev01ution started from the later half of the century, with the emergence

    ofaprosestylevisibleatthebeginningofthisperiod.This period begins from the

    establishmellt of the Fon William C011ege in K01kata by the British. Thc foundcrs

    ofmodem Bengali poetry were Datta (1834-1873)and Bankim Chandra Chattedee

    (1838-1898).The nrst Bengali poet who wrote blank verse and combined westem

     180

    一七七

  •  English as a GIobal Language in Post-Colonial South Asia: Perspective on Bangladesh

    innuence and lndian literature was Michea1 Madhusudan Datta. £)u啄eshnandini,

    the nrst Bengali romantic nove1, was written by Bankim ChandTa.A huge renewal

    can be seen in the drama and literary prose in this age. Poetry also became popular

    in this age. Rabindranath Tagore poet, novelist, short story writer, dramatist,

    essayist and literary critic gave a new meaning of Bengali literature. He received a

    NobeI Prize for his poem Gitanjali and he was the first lndian poet who received the

    NobeI Prize. TheModemageofBengaliliteraturebeginswiththeestablishmentof

    theAr£フ//θ/,amodemistmovementmagazine founded in 1923 by a group ofwriters.

    Kazi NazruHslam and Mohitla1 M4jumdar were among the most famous poets of

    this age (ibid)。

      Many languages have influenced Bengali vocabulary. Due to Islam, a strong

    Perso-Arabic innuence can be seen in such as greetings “Salaam aleykum” (peace

    be unto you)and the reply “Wa aleykum as-salaam” (unto you a1so peace)as well

    as the names ofthe family members “abba” (father)and“amma”(mother).Because

    of British c010nization, a strong inf1uenceofEnglishcanalso be seen in Bengali

    vocabulary such as table, timn etc. Currently,because of the g10bal nature of the

    English language, Bengali borrows many words n・om English such as television,

    telephone,vide0,radio etc. ButinBangladeshEnglishisnotcompetitorofBengali

    and a1so it is not used as a lingua franca. lt is mother tongue of 98 percent people of

    Bangladesh.ln the later chapters l will discuss the status of Bengali and English in

    Bangladesh(Bangla- The o伍ciaI Language of Bangladesh: Retrieved 3 1 August,

    2006,from http://www.betelco.co㎡bd/bangla/bangla.html)・

    Dialects of Bangladesh

       Very few studies have done on dialects in Bangladesh to date. Many groupings

    eχist regarding dialects on Bangladesh. Inonegroupjt is mentioned that dialects

    of Bangladesh can be divided into four groups:

                                             181

    一七六

  • A110therlypoIogy divides Bengali dialects into two m司or categories: 1. Spoken vs.

    literary variants

    2.Regional variants.

       2.1 PhonoIogical vanations

       2.2 Fricatives

       2.3 Tibeto-Burman influence (Bengali Dialects: Retrieved 15 July, 2007,

          110m http:// en.wikipedia.0rg/wiki/Benga1しdialects)

    1.North Bengal dialects which include Dinlljpur, R耐shahi,Bogra and

       Pabna.

    2. R4jbanshi,the dialect of Rangpur・

    3.East Bengali dialects which include Dhaka, Mymensingh,Tripura,

       Barishal,Shyhet,Faridpur,Jessore and Khutna.

    4.South Bengal dialects which include Chittagong, Noakhali and the

       dialects of Chittagong Hil1 Tracts which are spoken by Chakmas and

       Murongs

    (Dialect: Banglapedia Article: Boi-Mela (Book Fair),Retrieved 15 July 2007,

    fiom h即://banglapedia.search.com.bd/HT/Dj)212.htm)

               Spoken and Literary Variants

      Bengali has a strong diglossia between the spoken and written f1)rms ofthe

    language, Two difTerent written forms eχist in Bengali. They are known as

    Shadhubhasha and Cholitobhasha.

    一七五

      Shadhubha硫a.ThetcrmShadhu mcans ‘chastc’ andBhashamcans ‘1anguagc’・

    Shadhubhasamostly used in modem writing. ln the wTitten system of品α励功みα∫α,

    most ofthe vocabulary derived 丘om Sanskrit and the verb innections is 10nger than

     182

  •    Cholilobhasha.Thetermchonto means ‘current’ and Bhasameans ‘language’

    C加/加晶心αis written in colloquial idiom、Cholitobhasa is standard of written

    Bengali. Wtiting in C/,。/汲7晶む加become popular at 19th century. The writings of

    Peary Chand Mitra (Ålaler ghare dulal),Pramatha Chowdhury (SabltjPatra,Jgj4)

    and later Rabindranath Tagore renect this form (Bengali Dialects: Geographical

    distribution: Retrieved 1 5 July, 2007,fyom http://en.wikipedia.0rg/wiki/Bengalし

    dialects)。

       The variation 017 Chohtobha油ais faf more in the spoken form rather than

    written form. Formal spoken Bengali like news reports, speeches, announcements

    and lectures delivered on Chontobha油a、The spoken form oI Chonlobha硫ahas

    many variation and those are known as j刀c力θ/jc召力心α(regional Bengali).Mostof

    Bangladeshi people can communicate in more than one dialect. Sometimes speakers

    are nuent in Chohtobhashajn onejηc/zθ/jc召力心αand aIso in one Gn7朋房Qβ/1心α

    (rura1 Bengali).The difTerences of these dialects are mostly phono10gical and

    phonetic one rather than grammatical one. Some dialects share the feature of

    Shadhu Bhasa(ibid),

     English as a Global Language in Post-Colonial South Asia: Perspective on Ban91adesh

    Cholilobhasa.The national anthem oflndia is composed in Shadhubhasa(Bengali

    Dialects: Retrieved l 5 July, 2007,n・om http://en.wikipedia.0rg/wiki/Benga1し

    dialects).

    一七四

    RegioBaIVariants

      The name ofthe regional dialects generally originates f10m the districts where

    the language is spoken. There isnoagreement of the description of regional

    dialects.Even the standard Bengali language does not show how many dialects are

    available in the Bengali language. ln spoken Bengali regionaI variation constitute a

    dialect continuumL Speech varies with the distance of few miles. Among the

                                         183

  • religious communities speech also takes distinct fk)rms.

      ?/1θ77∂/θがcα/vαΓjαΓjθ心.ln the westem and eastem Bengal, there is a marked

    phon010gical difTerence between the speeches of Bengalies. The grammar is same

    but only difTbrence is on accent (ibid).

      Fricat佃es.The difference of n・icatives is visible between the Kolkata and

    Bangladeshi Bengali. Many stops and am・icates in Kolkata Bengali are pronounced

    as fi‘icatives in Dhaka (ibid)。

      77かeΓθ-jz4r。7α,7 iy!/yz4Ez7cE.The innuence of Tibeto-Burman language is seen in

    the Bengali language. The i㎡1uence is mainly on phonoIogy. lt is visible through

    the lack ofnasalized voweIs in Bengali and, a more n・onted place of articulation for

    the apico-postalve01ar stops and the lack of distinctions between two “/r/ sounds”

    or “ tw0 1iquids” (ibid)・

      Sometimes different speakers pronounced same words in a dif秘rent way. lt

    happens because of socia1, educationa1,cultural and religious persuasion. This

    variety is widely visible among the Bengali speakers.

      Bangla language has 10ng history and culture and a1so in spite of the thrust of

    the Bengali language movement and afier the independence ofBangladesh English

    plays a continuing important role in Bangladesh. Today,about 3 percent of the

    population of Bangladesh is using English as a second language (Baumgardner,

    1996,p. 1).English is aIso assigned importance in a1I Education Commission

    Reports.lt is used as a medium of communication in the intemational and gIobal

    community. Nationalist sentiments strongly promote the indigenous language,

    Bengali,in place of English, and the Bengali lmplementation Act (1987)in

    Bangladesh revea1s this fact. ln spite ofthis movement and its legalization, English

    isstillbcing1camcdandisamarkcrofsocial,cconomical and p011tical advancemcnt

    of South Asia (Baumgardner,ibid)・

      English retained its o伍cial standing within the Bangladeshi society, continuing

     184

    一七三

  •  En911sh as a Global Language in PosI-Colonial South Asia: Perspective on Ban9ladesh

    to be used within the legal system, govemment and secondary and higher education.

    The acquisition of English is linked with economic and educational gain while

    English education is accessible to a very fbw people ofBangladesh. The aim ofthis

    paper is to state English as a global language in South,Asia with special reference

    of Bangladesh.

      The bulk of data in this paper consists of results of interviews with thirteen

    policy planners. ln this paper l will discuss what the policy planners think about the

    present educational system ofBangladesh. This paper is organized by the key ideas

    or themes. This paper presents the responses of the policy planners that were

    acquired through in-depth interviews. ln this chapter I will discuss policy planner’s

    views over the status of Bengali and English education, necessity of English

    education,medium of instruction p011cy in the secondary school and methods of

    English teaching in Bangladesh.

      l tried to conduct the interviews in a very informal way. l tried to use the

    langulage/thlolugh which inlterviewees felel colmfolrtable.Moslt ofthe policy planners

    spoke in English, but two of them seemed to me fbeling comfortable speaking in

    Bengali.l conducted their interviews in Bengali. lnterviews took place in p011cy

    planners’ homes and other Iocations.

      l nrst explained to the interviewees that l had come f¥om Japan where l am

    studying.l explained to them that l am working on English language education

    policy ofBangladesh. lt01dthemlamparticularlyinterestedtoknowabouttheuse

    of English and its importance in our education system. l also showed them my

    interview questionnaire. I sometimes gave my interview questionnaire to the

    interviewees prior to my interview, as some of them were busy and did not have

    time to answer my questions.

      All the collected data were recorded. The recorded versions were transcribed

    and the data were reduced to fomlat for coding. ln the following paragraphs l wiII

                                         185

    一七二

  • deal with the results of my interviews. l wi11 100k at the debate on language policy

    with specific reference to the place of Bengali and English.

              IS English Threatening Bengali?

      The constitution of Bangladesh states Bengali is a national language of

    Bangladesh(Bangladesh constitution, 1979)and Govemment declared English as

    a second rather than a foreign language (Zaman,2004).My second question asked

    to the interviewees was whether English threatens Bengali (Here by threatening l

    mean the problem of survival of Bengali language).ln this section l will discuss

    interviewees’viewsofthepositionofBengaliinBangladesh。

      AIl thirteen interviewees agree that English is not threatening Bengali. They

    believe that Bengali is a we11-established language and there is no concem about its

    surviva1.Bengali is given importance in the constitution and it is used in the

    parliament.Bengali has a high priority almost everywhere in Bangladesh. There is

    no competitor of Bengali language. lt is the o伍cial language, it is used extensively

    everywhere and in every sphere of life. English is a required language fbr

    intemationalism and job opportunity, but it can never take the place ofBengali. ln

    this view, there is no connict between Bengali and English. These tw0 1anguages

    are not competitors but instead complement each other。

      One ofthe interviewees mentioned that English does not threaten Bengali but

    Bengali threatens many other minority languages, such as Marma. Minority

    speakers need to leam Bengali t0 1ive in Bangladesh and Bengali is accessed by

    almost all people ofBangladesh. Bengali has a 10ng tradition, literature,culture and

    history

      ln this section l discussed p011cy planners’ views regarding the Bengali

    language and its survival. All the interviewees think that English does not threaten

    Bengali at al1. Bengali has its enriched literature and culture. There is no question

     186

    一七一

  •  English as a GIobal Language in Post-Colonial Soulh Asja: Perspective on Ban9ladesh

    regarding the survival of Bengali. But Bengali threatens many minority languages

    in Bangladesh.

    English lMedium lnstruction

       One of the policy planners fllvored more emphasis of English language in

    education and language p011cy, due to the relation between English and economic

    deveIopment. According to him, Bengali is a national language of Bangladesh,

    used widely in Bangladesh, but fbr intemational eχchange and dip10matic reasons

    knowledge of English is necessary. He mentioned that language policy of

    Bangladesh emphasizes Bengali but in reality knowledge of English is necessary

    everywhere. Thus there is a gap between the language policy and reality,

       He recommended that a healthy language policy should give more emphasis

    to English. English education needs to be more accessible and more use恒1 for al1,

    both in remote areas as well as in urban areas, though it would not be an easy task

    to d0.

    Bengali Nledium lnstruction

       Eight among the thirteen interviewees favored Bengali as a medium of

    instruction in aII streams. They preferred to introduce English as a subject to study

    not in the primary level but in the secondary level. 0ne ofthem said,

       Actually we do not have any proper language p011cy in that sense. l do not

    know about English whether it is a foreign language or second language. How

    EnglishwillbetaughtandwhatkindofmethodoIogywillbefollowedisnotknown.

    But l personally think that English should be taught from grade six. lfstudents leam

    English f10m grade six up to grade tweIve, l think that is enough for a student to

    study at the higher studies. As you know the medium of instruction in the higher

    education is English.

       Eight of the interviewees recommended that English should be introduced in

                                              18Z

    一七〇

  • the secondary level but not in the primary level while f1)ur of the policy planners

    recommended English should introduced from primary level. 0ne of the p011cy

    planners had no opinion regarding this. According to these eight p011cy planners,

    Bengali teaching is not adequate and needs to be improved. Many Bengali teachers

    do not know standard Bengali. They use regionaI Bengali in the class. They a1so do

    not know how to teach Bengali. Therefore,govemment should work to improve the

    textbooks in Bengali and Bengali teaching。

       The interviewees favor implementation of English-medium instruction from

    the secondary level because of the availability of the textbooks. Most of the

    textbooks in the higher education are in English. So,at present knowledge of

    English is necessary. Govemment should take m4jor efTort to translate books into

    Bengali or to produce original books in Bengali. Although the Bangla Academy has

    done a lot in this regard, many m4jor attempts need to be taken. Supporters of this

    approach argue that mother-tongue education is the most efTective education for all

    levels of the educationaI system.

    BilinguaI Education

       Three among the thirteen interviewees mention that English should be

    introduced丘om first grade ofthe school. They argue that English is necessary for

    globalizationso xve cannot implement only Bengali as a medium of instruction.

    Theyfllvorabilingua1-education system from the first grade. They recommend that

    the process of English teaching needs to be refbrmed. Bangladesh needs to

    implement communicative methods rather than grammar translation methods fbr

    English teaching. AII streams of education should fbl10w the same methods。

       ln this section l discussed the views of the p011cy planners on medium of

    instruction p011cy. There are disagTeements regarding this issue. Eight ofthe p011cy

    planners prefer mother-tongue medium of instruction with the implementation of

    English丘om the secondary scho01, three of the p011cy planners prefer a bilingual

      188

    一六九

  • English as a Global Language in Post-Colonial South Asia: Perspective on Bangladesh

    education system with the implementation of English fyom the first grade of school

    and one of the interviewees argued English should be given more emphasis in the

    language p011cy. Although there are disagreements among the policy planners, aII

    ofthem support English education 丘om the nrst grade or 丘om the secondary level.

                Benelits of English Language

       Bangladesh faces son!eofthe most dimcult problems in educationaI systems

    in thc world. 38%of the population is initcrate. Although the constitution of

    Bangladesh declares that education should be free and compu1sory fk)r a1I children,

    in reality many people know the alphabet but cannot read books (Hossain&

    ToIlefion,2006)and 42.7 percent people live beIow the poverty line (Ahmed,

    2002).χVithin this socia1 conteχt, English remains a language of education and

    empIoyment,but English is accessible to a very few people in Bangladesh,

    especially in rural areas (Hossain&ToIlefson,2006).My fourth question to the

    interviewees was: Can English be a language that will be helpful for al1? ln this

    section l will discuss p011cy planner’s views regarding the benents of English

    education in Bangladesh.

       There are disagreements among the policy planners over this issue. Eight of

    the policy plannersrnentioned that English can be a language that would be help血l

    for a11. Supporters of this view believe that one can survive in Bangladesh without

    the knowledge of English, but fbr a better life, knowledge of English is necessary.

    According to them, Englishisnecessaryforgettingjobsinmultinationa1companies,

    fk)r getting jobs abroad, for social and economic reasons, f1)r globalization and aIso

    fbr higher education in Bangladesh. They also argue that Bangladesh needs a model

    for English language teaching which would be appropriate for this country. lfthe

    present education system changes, English can be a language that would be helpfUI

    fk)r a11.

                                            189

    一六八

  •    Three among the thirtccn p011cy planners believes that English could be a

    helpfill language fbr a certain number of people, but not for everyone, English has

    little value for people like fishermen or peasants who rarely leave their villages・

    Bilingualism is a burden for them. Supporters ofthis approach believed that English

    can be helpful fk)r some, especially those who go f1)r higher education. But in

    Bangladesh very few people go for higher education. English is not necessary or

    helpful for a11。

       1n this section l fi)cused on the policy planner’s views regarding the benents

    of Enがlish.Therel arel disagrelements amongl thel p011cy plhlnnersl regardinlg lthe

    necessity of English. Some of them mentioned that knowledge of English is

    necessaryforallandothersmentionedthatknowledgeofEnglishwouldbehelpnlI

    only for some.

              GoalOfBengalijVlediumEduCatiOn

      ln Bangladesh, the fbrmal education system consists ofthree types of scho01

    which are distinguished by the medium of instruction and aIso by the role of

    religion.Most rural public schools and many urban schoolsareBengali-medium

    schools(Hossain&T011efson,2006).My finh question was: W11at is the goa1 0f

    Bengali-medium education? There are no disagreements among the p011cy makers

    over this issue. AII ofthem agree that the goaI ofBengali-medium education is to

    educate young people to become educated citizens of the country. 0ne ofthem

    stated,

    “The aim of Bengali medium education is to truly educate an individual. This is

    likely to be achieved by providing appropriate knowledge and moral values. These

    moral valucs arc consistent with thc spirit of Bcngali nationalism and cultures.

    Bengali medium education would ultjmately help one to grow uph01ding these

    cultural traditions and values.”

     190

    一六七

  •  En911sh as a GIobal Language in Post-CoIonial South Asia: Perspective on Bangladesh

       Another clear goal of Bengali medium education is to develop the Bengali

    language itselfl The history of the emergence of Bangladesh as an independent

    nation is clearly connected with the language movement. 0ne of the 血nctions of

    the Bengali medium education is to reemphasize Bengali in all spheres of national

    lifb.

              GOaI Of EngUsh lVlediUm EducatiOn

       Beside the Bengali-medium schools, there are also many English-medium

    schools in Bangladesh, where t�


Recommended