English Education and Unemployment in Bangladesh: A Study at the H.S.C. Level

Amrita Alam Sandhy, Rumana Karim, Rahat Hossain

Oct-Nov-Dec

Abstract
In Bangladesh, students complete their higher secondary level of education at 18 to 20 years. Most of them want to start earning side-by-side with their higher education for various reasons. However, the students need to have the necessary skills in the English language to start their professional life or be successful in earning related activities. This mixed-method study tried to determine whether the English education imparted at the Higher Secondary (H.S.C.) stage in Bangladesh develops students' necessary English language skills to competently involve themselves in professional life. It also tried to find out if there is any relation between English education and unemployment of youth who aspire to earn after H.S.C. The study conducted a questionnaire survey with 25 students from rural areas and 25 students from urban areas and semi-structured interviews with ten (10) students; 5 from those two groups. The participants had completed the H.S.C. level of education and wanted to earn. The study found that most of the teachers did not consider the professional life of the students while teaching English. Instead, they taught English to the tests. At the same time, students remained busy following their teachers' instructions and preparing them for the examinations. The researcher recommends that the government take the necessary steps to develop a career-oriented English language curriculum for the students at the H.S.C. level, train the teachers, and strengthen monitoring and assessment procedures regarding the implementation of the adopted curriculum at the H.S.C. level.

Keyword: English education, Higher Secondary Level, Unemployment

Research Area: ELT

Country: Bangladesh

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