The Legacy of English in Private Universities in Bangladesh: Socio-Cultural, Economic, and Psychological Influences

Author(s): Md. Obaidullah, Dr. Md. Maher Ali

Publication Date: September 17, 2024

Abstract

This study aims to explore the reasons behind preferring English in private universities in Bangladesh and tries to determine why the colonial legacy of preference for English in Bangladesh continues to grow on such a large scale. Despite Bangladesh being a predominantly monolingual country, English continues to play a significant role in its educational system. In all areas of the state, English remains the preferred language in various sectors, despite efforts by educational and governmental bodies to promote Bangla across all areas of life. This study aims to demonstrate the hidden motivations and reasons behind learning English. It adopts a survey method and collects data through a questionnaire. It follows a simple random sampling technique to gather data from 160 undergraduate students from 4 private universities located in Rajshahi and Khulna. The findings indicate that students prefer English in all types of communications because they think that English opens multiple employment opportunities and widens scopes for bright careers. They also feel complacent and superior in their ability to speak in English. These factors are deeply mixed with the colonial impacts and legacies and are mainly claimed to be the reasons of preference for English in private universities in Bangladesh.