UNDOUBTEDLY the standard of English in the educational institutions of the countryside leaves a lot to be desired. This is further confirmed as we look at the result sheets of rural schools. In board exams majority of students doing bad in English belong to rural schools and colleges. Not only that their weakness in English is also responsible for unsatisfactory performance in other subjects as well which does not allow them to go beyond SSC or HSC and consequently deprive them of higher education. The matter deserves attention of the highest authorities. It has been found that the state of English teaching in schools of our rural areas is substandard. Schools do not have qualified English teachers and as a result the quality of English teaching is below the minimum required level.
The importance of English language is increasing day by day and we need to take a coordinated national approach with adequate priority for English teaching to match the global standards. English is the window to outside world and we need to open it for our rural students so that they do not remain deprived of its benefits.
Mohammed Fardeen
Badda, Dhaka
