Does the child's English learning depend on the school?

I went to the doctor with my child a few days ago. I saw several parents there, talking to their children in English, 'Come here'; 'sit here'; Nor were they saying very simple words like 'don't run' in Bengali.

One of them was even talking to my child in English. For example, which school did you attend, which class did you attend, why did you visit the doctor, etc. My child, who is a first grader in Bengali medium and not used to YouTube, still doesn't understand everything. English. Naturally she was very embarrassed.

Natasha Ahmed told about the same experience. Almost all the children in his father's house and in-laws' house read through English medium. As a result, Natasha's baby daughter was completely alone when going to family events. The rest of the children communicate with each other in English, which is not possible for Natasha's daughter. In this situation, he decided to teach his daughter through English against his will.

There are many parents who are now shifting their children from good Bengali schools to medium English medium schools. Most say, there is no alternative to keep up with the times. Especially when so many people's children in the neighborhood speak and communicate in English, if your own child can't, it feels like he's falling behind. As a result, these parents are emphasizing English to advance their children.

Wasek Billah, a journalist from Dhaka, transferred his daughter Swarit Riti from Bengali to English. I asked him the reason. Wasek said, "Today's children are growing up watching YouTube. I used to watch my daughter, she didn't do well in Bengali medium. Now after being introduced to English, she is doing well in her studies. Because, she is growing up watching. Different content of English language.

Jewel Hasnat, a civil servant, says otherwise. Both his children have studied through Bengali medium. But as there was no improvement in English there, he enrolled them in a separate online English learning course. He said, this decision is to increase the possession of English. As he felt that the school could not teach, he ventured to teach himself. In his words, "There is no substitute for English to live in modern life."

Why do we fear and love English, asked GH Habib, assistant professor and translator of Chittagong University English Department. According to him, development of any country in the world is not possible without mother tongue. When there were no English medium schools and colleges or separate education system, people of our country studied only in English. They have done well in their professional life, well in teaching. Familiarity with English has increased over time, but English language proficiency has not.

GH Habib wants people in Bangladesh to speak English as an 'exaggeration'. He said, "We have a crisis in mentality. Those who know English are complacent about being members of the upper class. The mentality of colonial slavery still lingers in the region.

This teacher believes that the love for English has also increased due to the increase in the trend of going abroad among the students of the country.

When asked how to create compassion for Bengali language among children, he said that the family has to play the biggest role in this regard. Children learn by watching their parents. If parents speak Bengali, read Bengali books; Children will learn too. After that, educational institutions and the state should play a role. The use of Bengali should be increased at school-college-university level. Changes should be made in the education system. It should be noted that the students should understand the mother tongue well. If the mother tongue is strong, he can learn any language easily.'

GH Habib points out the need to know English to move forward in the modern world, but it doesn't mean you have to become a slave to English.