Teaching a Third Language and Our Budget

The government has proposed a special plan in the budget for FY2026-27 to provide students with additional language skills.  According to the proposal, a major transformation will be brought to the existing curriculum. Special emphasis will be given to developing social responsibility, leadership qualities and human values among students. Technical and vocational education, technology-based curricula, and sports and cultural activities will also be integrated into mainstream education. There is also a plan to make technical education compulsory from Class VI onwards. Alongside Bangla and English, multiple third languages, including Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Arabic, French, German etc. are proposed to be included in the curriculum. The main goal of this initiative is to develop skilled manpower for the global labour market.
Meanwhile, an education-based news portal Dainik Shiksha  recently conducted a survey on the issue of teaching a third language to students. The proposal was supported by 72 per cent of respondents, who believe it would help students secure jobs more easily and contribute to increasing foreign exchange earnings. The plan initially appears to be appealing. But there will certainly be challenges in implementing it. The country has a dismal record in teaching even one foreign language effectively. English has been taught as a foreign language for 55 years in Bangladesh and another 24 years during Pakistan’s rule. Yet, during this long period, the country has failed to employ enough competent language teachers capable of teaching English effectively. As a result, English learning has become a thriving business rather than a means of building strong language proficiency. This business extends from kindergarten to higher education and from remote villages to affluent urban neighbourhoods through coaching centres and spoken-English courses. People from various educational backgrounds, from students to professors and from novice teachers to self-proclaimed experts, are involved in teaching English. Yet meaningful English proficiency remains elusive. English is still taught largely as an academic subject rather than as a practical skill, leaving its intended purpose unfulfilled.
Additionally, there is a plan to introduce the concept of ‘Learning with Happiness’ to ensure a stress-free and joyful learning environment. To expand women’s education, free education is proposed up to the bachelor’s level. The budget also includes plans to provide school uniforms, shoes and bags for poor students and to strengthen inclusive education for students with disabilities and special needs. A proposal has been made to gradually introduce midday meals nationwide to improve students’ nutrition and health. Initiatives are also being taken to improve sanitation and hygiene facilities for female students and teachers. With a focus on technology and AI-based education, plans have been made to establish multimedia classrooms, provide free Wi-Fi connectivity and implement a ‘One Teacher, One Tab’ programme. The ministry expects these measures to enhance the digital skills of both teachers and students. All these plans deserve appreciation if they can be implemented effectively. 

The Education Sector Analysis (ESA) 2026 is a comprehensive, evidence-based review of Bangladesh’s education sector, covering all levels from pre-primary to higher education, as well as cross-cutting areas such as teacher development, governance, financing, inclusion and technology. It serves as a critical tool for guiding education policy, planning and investment. The Government of Bangladesh, in collaboration with UNICEF and development partners under the GPE, recently held a high-level validation workshop on the Bangladesh Education Sector Analysis 2026 in Dhaka. The workshop brought together more than 100 participants, including senior government officials, development partners, education experts, academics, researchers, civil society representatives and media professionals. The analysis identified a serious learning crisis at the primary level: half of the children lack foundational literacy, while one in three lacks foundational numeracy. This calls for greater emphasis on reading, writing, mathematics, teaching quality and relevant competencies. Unfortunately, no findings have been revealed regarding the effectiveness of English language teaching at the primary level, despite its status as a compulsory and important subject. Had such an assessment been conducted, it might have exposed an even grimmer reality. 
Finally, we appreciate the government’s recognition of the importance of multilingual skills in an age of globalisation. However, if the state has struggled to teach English effectively despite making it compulsory and employing hundreds of thousands of teachers, its ability to successfully introduce additional foreign languages remains questionable. The assessment system also pays little attention to developing practical language skills. Under such circumstances, can we realistically expect better outcomes from the teaching of a third language? How will qualified teachers be recruited and trained? If introduced without adequate preparation, the initiative risks becoming a white elephant. New projects may be launched at public expense without delivering meaningful results, much as has happened with English language education.
The government should consider implementing it through the private sector or public-private partnerships by establishing specialised language institutes where students can learn important foreign languages through focused training. Introducing another foreign language as a regular school subject may prove impractical. Otherwise, students may end up learning neither the new language nor core subjects such as mathematics, science and social science effectively.
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The writer is President, English Teachers’ Association of Bangladesh (ETAB)