By K S T Qureshi

English makes the world go around. This observation captures a defining reality of the contemporary world where learning English is no longer an optional cultural asset, but an essential skill for survival and success in a competitive global system. In the modern world, the capacity of both individuals and nations to thrive is closely linked to their command of English, which functions as the principal medium of international communication.

English dominates the domains that shape power, progress, and prosperity. It is the primary language of international politics and diplomacy, enabling dialogue between states and multilateral institutions. It is the working language of commerce, finance, banking, and global trade. In science and research, English governs academic journals, conferences, patents, and collaborative innovation. Disciplines such as medicine, pharmacology, biotechnology, engineering, astronomy, aviation, maritime studies, artificial intelligence, data science, environmental studies, and higher education rely overwhelmingly on English. The digital world further consolidates this dominance, as the Internet, software development, online education platforms, and global media ecosystems operate largely through English.

Bangladesh, as a developing country with a substantial proportion of its population under the age of thirty, holds significant promise. This demographic strength can be converted into economic and intellectual capital if young people are equipped with strong linguistic skills, particularly in English. Without such preparation, demographic advantage risks becoming an economic burden. With it, Bangladesh can integrate more effectively into global labour markets, research networks, and diplomatic forums.

Recent political history has also exposed a critical vulnerability arising from dependence on Bengali alone as the primary medium of national communication. In the aftermath of the 5 August 2024 Revolution, a sustained soft power offensive was launched from across the border through the fabrication of allegations, including claims of Hindu lynching, temple destruction, and the assertion that Bangladesh had fallen under the control of Taliban-style Islamic extremism. Bangladeshi media outlets, civil society figures, and pro-revolutionary politicians attempted to counter these narratives and defend the legitimacy of the popular uprising. However, due to limited proficiency and reach in English, much of this response remained confined within national boundaries. As a result, the international audience largely absorbed and reproduced the Hindutva propaganda originated and circulated from and outside India, and even now segments of global media continue to circulate these fabrications. This episode illustrates that linguistic incapacity is not merely an educational weakness but a strategic liability in the arena of global perception and information warfare.

To address these structural challenges, decisive policy intervention is required, and responsibility must rest with the next government. Language reform should be declared a national priority and implemented in clearly defined phases. The first phase should focus on the intensive training of primary school teachers, as linguistic habits and cognitive patterns are formed at the earliest stages of education. Teachers at this level must be trained to deliver English with fluency, confidence, and accuracy, including pronunciation, accent, intonation, rhythm, and expressive command. A standard model, preferably Received Pronunciation (RP), should be adopted to ensure clarity, consistency, and international intelligibility. At the same time, Bangladesh should begin a careful and gradual transition toward offering education increasingly through the English medium. This process must be steady and methodical, ensuring that neither teachers nor students are placed at a disadvantage. A phased movement toward English-medium instruction would align the education system with global academic norms while maintaining pedagogical stability and social inclusion.

However, sending Bangladeshi teachers to England or any other English-speaking country for language training should be avoided. Experience demonstrates that many such trainees do not return upon completion of their courses. As part of a broader brain drain dynamic, Western countries frequently provide avenues for converting student status into permanent residence. Although immigration laws are formally stringent, they are often adjusted to absorb trained individuals from developing countries into local labour markets, resulting in a loss of national investment in human capital.

A more sustainable alternative would be to recruit qualified English instructors with strong RP accents to work in Bangladesh on permanent or long-term employment contracts. Their primary responsibility would be to train local primary school teachers within the country. After approximately three years, once this foundational phase has been consolidated, the programme should advance to its second phase. In this stage, secondary school teachers and university lecturers should be offered the same training opportunities as a matter of national importance. This sequential approach would ensure coherence across the education system and produce a cumulative rise in English proficiency.

Alongside English, Bangladesh should promote the learning of other major international languages to widen economic and professional horizons. Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Russian, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, and Arabic provide access to distinct markets and strategic regions. Multilingual competence enhances resilience in an increasingly diversified global economy. Arabic, in particular, holds considerable economic significance. A substantial share of Bangladesh’s foreign currency earnings derives from remittances sent by workers employed in Arabic-speaking countries. Equipping these workers with functional Arabic language skills would improve their access to skilled employment, higher wages, and safer working environments, while simultaneously increasing national earnings.

In conclusion, English occupies a central position in the modern global system, shaping knowledge production, economic participation, and international narrative power. For Bangladesh, a phased, government-led strategy that begins with primary school teachers, advances toward English-medium education, and extends to secondary and university educators is both realistic and necessary. Combined with targeted multilingual training, such a policy can strengthen human capital, counter external misinformation and gaslighting more effectively, and position the nation to engage with the world on equal and confident terms.