Regardless of appraisement of English medium schools as wonderful places, people still question the advantages of such a system. Critics argue that English medium schools have a detrimental influence that immensely affects pupils in terms of cultural, norms and values.
Although the first English medium school in Bangladesh, St Francis Xavier’s Green Herald International School, was established in 1912, it started to flourish after the independence of Bangladesh. Perhaps the objective was to establish a new pathway of education which was internationally recognized and would help develop bilingualism and other communicative skills in students.
The strength of English medium lies in its curriculum and its ability to teach English, but it does not mean forgetting one’s own culture, adopting a completely new culture, wearing “Western” clothes or it does not mean eating fast food. Nor does it involve ignoring Bengali food, forgetting Bengali literature, language, movies, or songs.
As a student of an English medium school, I think students, parents, and teachers should work to develop a better image of English medium institutions, with the task being to showcase it as a quality system of education, one which still upholds Bangladeshi culture.
We, the English medium community, understand that our identity is derived from our own culture, values, and norms.
Thereby, it is extremely important for us to understand and learn Bengali culture, tradition, ethics, morals, history, and language.
A survey conducted by bdnews24 in 2006 revealed that there were about 1,700 English medium schools in Bangladesh and those schools were impacting Bengali culture negatively. Another conducted in February 2019 suggested that the majority of the participants think that Western cultural domination in English medium schools is high.
They concluded that the influence of western culture was not only found in English medium School in Dhaka but also all over the country.
In my journey as a student of an English medium school, I have always seen all my friends using American slang and listening to English songs and considering Bengali songs cheap and outdated.
Well, I represent a family that treasures Bangladeshi culture and traditions including music, art, clothes, and food and I am proud to uphold my culture in all spheres and under all circumstances.
Language movement activist Gaziul Haque has said that English medium schools teach very little Bengali literature and more English literature.
Thus, students learn more about English writers, for example, William Shakespeare, rather than Kazi Nazrul Islam and Rabindranath Tagore.
He also said, “English medium schools do not help practice Bangladeshi culture when teaching the English language.
The students of such schools follow British curriculum and read books based on foreign context, particularly Western culture.
As a result, students of English medium schools in Bangladesh learn about Western tradition, geography, history, politics, and cultural backgrounds, leaving out Bangladeshi resources.”
Indeed, nowadays, students, especially of English medium schools, forget their own culture and run after Western culture, thinking it will make them smarter. It does not.
Such a tendency of following another culture is an enormous disrespect and dishonour to our culture and values and future generations cannot be allowed to grow up like this. They must understand that they will not be accepted and recognized in the same way abroad as they are here.
We can see that in the life of Michael Madhusudan Dutt. Although countries may provide a passport because of their economic interests, the identity crisis will continue. The United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1989, states that “The education of the child shall be directed to the development of respect for the child’s cultural identity, language and values.”
The time has come to collectively undertake the serious overhauling of the English medium system. The objective should be to take advantage of an internationally recognized system of quality education while incorporating our own culture in the process.
Nayera Abdullah is a student of Scholastica.
