A Study on English Language Policy, Planning, and Practices (ELPPP): From the Perspective of Bangladesh

Abstract

Language is a means of communication that is used to transfer information, ideas, and feelings from one person to another person based upon words and combination of words into sentences through which people can develop their knowledge and know about something (Gk. Stoic philosopher Epictetus, 55-135 A.D). As the most powerful tool of communication, the English language enjoys the position of World Language. During the reign of the British Empire in this sub-continent English language was used only as the official language. But in the present world context, the English language has become a global language. So, the demand for using this language has increased among all the countries in the world like China, Japan, India, Bangladesh, and others. Though this language has great demand around the world but in Bangladesh, there is no clear-cut policy regarding the status of the English language. Since 1974, several national education commissions were formed in Bangladesh with changing shifts in policies which in turn had their impacts on our education system. This study attempts to analyze the policy influencing the varied aspects of English language education from the primary to the tertiary level – including changes in curriculum design, materials, pedagogy, and assessment. It also aims to explore the diverse realizations of these policy shifts within an overarching perception of a changing global polity, the complexity of the transition from policy to planning and planning to practice, and the changing perceptions of the English language.