Bangla in English schools

Fazle Rabbi Khan

In Bangladesh, there are basically three types of schools: Bangla medium, English medium and madrassa (religious school).
In English medium schools, the curriculum is mostly based on the UK education system, with textbooks written by British, Indian and other foreign writers. Also, there are some schools teaching the English version of Bangla curriculum fixed by the National Curriculum and Textbook Board.
According to the National Education Policy 2010, the curriculums at all educational levels, including primary and secondary, should reflect the spirit of the country’s Liberation War, Language Movement, mother language, literature, culture and history.
The English medium schools are trying to comply by having Bangla language and Bangladesh studies on the syllabus to instill patriotism and love for the country in the students.
Ahead of International Mother Language Day on February 21, Y&I talked to some English medium schools in the capital to find out how they teach Bangla language and Bangladesh studies.

Marie Curie School

In this school, Bangla language is mandatory up to O-Level from play group. It also teaches Bangladesh Studies, where different facts about Bangladesh are included.  
“Our philosophy is that we teach British English through Bengali culture. Which means we teach the students proper English, but we also emphasis on Bengali language, culture and history. As we encourage the students to speak in English, we also encourage them to recite poems and read stories in Bangla. In fact, we encourage them to write their own poems and stories in Bangla as well. For that, we arrange different competitions,” said Saqeba Ali, principal of the school.
“Besides academic studies, we emphasis on activities related to Bengali culture and ensure their participation. We arrange book fairs, especially in February, the month of our Language Movement. We encourage students and their parents to go to the Ekushey Book Fair and get books. We also arrange Boishakhi (Bengali New Year) fairs, where students participate with their own products describing different aspects of Bengali culture. Through such activities, our students are gathering knowledge about Bangla and Bangladesh,” she added.

Delhi Public School Dhaka

At DPS, children are exposed to Bangla at an early age. Children in playgroup start reciting Bangla poems and songs at the age of 3. They start learning the Bangla alphabet and writing words at the age of 5. The syllabus includes Bangla rapid readers of famous writers, as well as Bangla textbooks provided by the national board for grades 1 to 10.
“We are covering most of the topics. The school emphasises on Bangla language as well as other subjects, like history, literature and culture. Students also read Bangla literature books provided in their syllabus to develop their language skills,” said Harsh Wal, principal of the school.
“Culture and language play an important role in the development of students. At DPS, we put a strong emphasis on educating students about Bangladesh’s history and organise numerous annual events to teach them about the country’s culture. They celebrate all traditional Bengali events, such as boshonto utshob (spring festival), Pohela Boishakh (new year), pitha utshob (rice cakes), Bhasha Dibosh (language day), Rabindra and Nazrul joyonti (birth anniversary) to enhance their knowledge of the language and culture of Bangladesh. We also observe Mother Language Day, Independence Day, Victory Day and other remarkable national days,” Wal added.

Canadian International School of Bangladesh

The school teaches Bangla language as a credit course for its high-school students, and it will teach Bangladesh studies as a credit course from next year.
“The elementary students learn the Bangla language in every grade, as well as songs and dance for cultural events, of which there are several per year. We honour all Bengali events through special days and holidays throughout the school year. It is a comprehensive approach here, through curricular time and trained teachers, teaching the courses through grades 1 to-10,” said Jeffery Pugh, principal of the school.

Northern International School Dhaka

The school teaches Bangla, general knowledge, history and Bangladesh studies from kindergarten through ‘A’ Level section.
“We believe that if you don’t like your mother tongue or culture, you cannot receive the others, too. But only educational institutions cannot single handedly solve this problem; I believe parents should also teach their children about the nation’s history and the government should also take the initiative to make history a mandatory subject in all kinds of educational institutions of the country”, said Habiba Akhter, vice-principal and director of the school.
“NIS believes the true history of Bangladesh will make their students more patriotic and devoted towards the country. We observe International Mother Language Day, Independence Day, Victory Day, Pohela Falgun and Pohela Boishakh in a grand way on the school premises every year. These programmes consist of Bengali dance, patriotic songs, poem recitation, decorations in Bangla letters, Bangla handwriting and spelling competitions, storytelling by freedom fighters, art contests and exhibitions, and  plays that portray the history of the Liberation War and Language Movement,” the vice-principal added.
“Just like the English language, we give importance to teaching Bangla in a creative and convenient way. Our teachers help to make local culture more appealing and attractive to the students. The school provides them with Bangla newspapers, and books by Bangladeshi writers and poets, alongside their syllabus to improve their Bangla knowledge and skill. As we are teachers, it is our duty to make our students feel the significance of historical days and the value of our culture,” said Habiba Akhter.
Syedus  Saqalain Nadid, a Class-2 student of the school said: “21st February is International Mother Language Day. We are the only one nation in the world who gave life for language. Every year on this day, our school organises Bangla writing competition, where we write stories and poems. We sing patriotic songs, there is also an art competition. I eagerly wait for this day to participate in several competitions. When I was in KG-1, I knew a little bit Bangla, but this writing competition encouraged me. And I started learning how to write stories in Bangla. Also, our school library has books both in English and Bangla. Whenever we get time, we read those. And our teachers encourage us to read and write in Bangla. I am learning so many things about our country, Liberation War and culture.”

Singapore School Kinderland

The school teaches Bangla language from KG 2 to O-level. It also includes Bangladesh studies, Bangla literature and other related subjects in the syllabuses of different grades.
“There is an observation that some students of English medium schools are weak in Bangla language. So, taking the fact seriously, we put emphasis on Bangla and other related subjects. We teach the subjects in easy ways _ as a result, the fear of Bangla does not exist among our students. We try to create their interest in the subject. We give them different projects on Bangla and related subjects that they have to research themselves and gather knowledge through the process. We conduct different competitions with the projects, so they try to be better than the others and become more knowledgeable through their participation,” said Kanta Saadat, head of the primary section.
“We encourage active participation in the classroom. The students recite different Bangla poems and read different stories and plays. We are planning to make different wall magazines, where the student will participate with their own written poems, stories and articles. Also, we celebrate remarkable national days, such as International Mother Language Day, Independence Day, Bengali New Year, Victory Day and many others. Overall, though our school is an English medium school, we put emphasis on Bangla language, Bengali culture and Bangladesh studies properly. We teach them that ‘you have to know many languages for many reasons, but Bangla is your mother tongue. So, you have to know it properly and use it from your heart’,” she added.

Australian International School, Dhaka

The school tries to promote Bangladeshi culture in every aspect through organising various programmes, presentations and celebrations and by integrating them into the curriculum. The subject “Study of Society and Environment” thoroughly integrates geography, history, culture, celebrations and other lessons about Bangladesh. It follows the national board recommended textbooks for Bangla.
“Our students are constantly encouraged to read ample amount of Bangla storybooks by various renowned writers. Specialist teachers teach them grammar and creative writing in Bangla,” said Tanzia Islam Khan, art teacher of the school.
“Historical events, such as Ekushey February, Shadhinota Dibosh and Bijoy Dibosh are celebrated every year with great respect and admiration for all the contributions and sacrifices made by our martyrs and freedom-fighters. Deep- rooted Bengali cultural events, such as Pohela Falgun, Pohela Boishakh are also celebrated every year,” she added.

Bangla in English schools

Fazle Rabbi Khan In Bangladesh, there are basically three types of schools: Bangla medium, English medium and madrassa (religious school). In English medium schools, the curriculum is mostly based on the UK education system, with textbooks written by British, Indian and other foreign writers. Also, there are some schools teaching the English version of Bangla curriculum fixed by the National Curriculum and Textbook Board. According to the National Education Policy 2010, the curriculums at all educational levels, including primary and secondary, should reflect the spirit of the countrys Liberation War, Language Movement, mother language, literature, culture and history. The English medium schools are trying to comply by having Bangla language and Bangladesh studies on the syllabus to instill patriotism and love for the country in the students. Ahead of International Mother Language Day on February 21, YI talked to some English medium schools in the capital to find out how they teach Bangla language and Bangladesh studies. Marie Curie School In this school, Bangla language is mandatory up to O-Level from play group. It also teaches Bangladesh Studies, where different facts about Bangladesh are included. Our philosophy is that we teach British English through Bengali culture. Which means we teach the students proper English, but we also emphasis on Bengali language, culture and history. As we encourage the students to speak in English, we also encourage them to recite poems and read stories in Bangla. In fact, we encourage them to write their own poems and stories in Bangla as well. For that, we arrange different competitions, said Saqeba Ali, principal of the school. Besides academic studies, we emphasis on activities related to Bengali culture and ensure their participation. We arrange book fairs, especially in February, the month of our Language Movement. We encourage students and their parents to go to the Ekushey Book Fair and get books. We also arrange Boishakhi (Bengali New Year) fairs, where students participate with their own products describing different aspects of Bengali culture. Through such activities, our students are gathering knowledge about Bangla and Bangladesh, she added. Delhi Public School Dhaka At DPS, children are exposed to Bangla at an early age. Children in playgroup start reciting Bangla poems and songs at the age of 3. They start learning the Bangla alphabet and writing words at the age of 5. The syllabus includes Bangla rapid readers of famous writers, as well as Bangla textbooks provided by the national board for grades 1 to 10. We are covering most of the topics. The school emphasises on Bangla language as well as other subjects, like history, literature and culture. Students also read Bangla literature books provided in their syllabus to develop their language skills, said Harsh Wal, principal of the school. Culture and language play an important role in the development of students. At DPS, we put a strong emphasis on educating students about Bangladeshs history and organise numerous annual events to teach them about the countrys culture. They celebrate all traditional Bengali events, such as boshonto utshob (spring festival), Pohela Boishakh (new year), pitha utshob (rice cakes), Bhasha Dibosh (language day), Rabindra and Nazrul joyonti (birth anniversary) to enhance their knowledge of the language and culture of Bangladesh. We also observe Mother Language Day, Independence Day, Victory Day and other remarkable national days, Wal added. Canadian International School of Bangladesh The school teaches Bangla language as a credit course for its high-school students, and it will teach Bangladesh studies as a credit course from next year. The elementary students learn the Bangla language in every grade, as well as songs and dance for cultural events, of which there are several per year. We honour all Bengali events through special days and holidays throughout the school year. It is a comprehensive approach here, through curricular time and trained teachers, teaching the courses through grades 1 to-10, said Jeffery Pugh, principal of the school. Northern International School Dhaka The school teaches Bangla, general knowledge, history and Bangladesh studies from kindergarten through A Level section. We believe that if you dont like your mother tongue or culture, you cannot receive the others, too. But only educational institutions cannot single handedly solve this problem; I believe parents should also teach their children about the nations history and the government should also take the initiative to make history a mandatory subject in all kinds of educational institutions of the country, said Habiba Akhter, vice-principal and director of the school. NIS believes the true history of Bangladesh will make their students more patriotic and devoted towards the country. We observe International Mother Language Day, Independence Day, Victory Day, Pohela Falgun and Pohela Boishakh in a grand way on the school premises every year. These programmes consist of Bengali dance, patriotic songs, poem recitation, decorations in Bangla letters, Bangla handwriting and spelling competitions, storytelling by freedom fighters, art contests and exhibitions, and plays that portray the history of the Liberation War and Language Movement, the vice-principal added. Just like the English language, we give importance to teaching Bangla in a creative and convenient way. Our teachers help to make local culture more appealing and attractive to the students. The school provides them with Bangla newspapers, and books by Bangladeshi writers and poets, alongside their syllabus to improve their Bangla knowledge and skill. As we are teachers, it is our duty to make our students feel the significance of historical days and the value of our culture, said Habiba Akhter. Syedus Saqalain Nadid, a Class-2 student of the school said: 21st February is International Mother Language Day. We are the only one nation in the world who gave life for language. Every year on this day, our school organises Bangla writing competition, where we write stories and poems. We sing patriotic songs, there is also an art competition. I eagerly wait for this day to participate in several competitions. When I was in KG-1, I knew a little bit Bangla, but this writing competition encouraged me. And I started learning how to write stories in Bangla. Also, our school library has books both in English and Bangla. Whenever we get time, we read those. And our teachers encourage us to read and write in Bangla. I am learning so many things about our country, Liberation War and culture. Singapore School Kinderland The school teaches Bangla language from KG 2 to O-level. It also includes Bangladesh studies, Bangla literature and other related subjects in the syllabuses of different grades. There is an observation that some students of English medium schools are weak in Bangla language. So, taking the fact seriously, we put emphasis on Bangla and other related subjects. We teach the subjects in easy ways _ as a result, the fear of Bangla does not exist among our students. We try to create their interest in the subject. We give them different projects on Bangla and related subjects that they have to research themselves and gather knowledge through the process. We conduct different competitions with the projects, so they try to be better than the others and become more knowledgeable through their participation, said Kanta Saadat, head of the primary section. We encourage active participation in the classroom. The students recite different Bangla poems and read different stories and plays. We are planning to make different wall magazines, where the student will participate with their own written poems, stories and articles. Also, we celebrate remarkable national days, such as International Mother Language Day, Independence Day, Bengali New Year, Victory Day and many others. Overall, though our school is an English medium school, we put emphasis on Bangla language, Bengali culture and Bangladesh studies properly. We teach them that you have to know many languages for many reasons, but Bangla is your mother tongue. So, you have to know it properly and use it from your heart, she added. Australian International School, Dhaka The school tries to promote Bangladeshi culture in every aspect through organising various programmes, presentations and celebrations and by integrating them into the curriculum. The subject Study of Society and Environment thoroughly integrates geography, history, culture, celebrations and other lessons about Bangladesh. It follows the national board recommended textbooks for Bangla. Our students are constantly encouraged to read ample amount of Bangla storybooks by various renowned writers. Specialist teachers teach them grammar and creative writing in Bangla, said Tanzia Islam Khan, art teacher of the school. Historical events, such as Ekushey February, Shadhinota Dibosh and Bijoy Dibosh are celebrated every year with great respect and admiration for all the contributions and sacrifices made by our martyrs and freedom-fighters. Deep- rooted Bengali cultural events, such as Pohela Falgun, Pohela Boishakh are also celebrated every year, she added.