An English medium school
Angela Robinson, Headmistress, Girls' Section, Bangladesh International Tutorial, Gulshan
As I look up from my desk in my Head's office, I see my girls having their Song and Dance classes. The songs and dances are, of course, Bengali, and the standard is extremely good. BIT has some music and dance staff who have been with us for many a long year and the quality of performances, when we give them, is stunning. If any young lady forgets her book, or her nupur, she gets glared at by me and my customary lecture on respecting her culture. Bengali is, of course, one of the three 'core' subjects. We have some Bangladeshi pupils who have lived in other countries or who have a foreign passport ready in their pockets but if they try to roll their eyes and plead their case not to learn Bengali, they get short shrift, I assure you. The major Bengali festivals are celebrated with considerable attention to detail - you should have seen what we did for Ekushey! The History and Geography of Bangladesh are well taught (supplemented by me in the morning assembly addresses where necessary) and there is a map of Bangladesh in every classroom. The whole policy underlines the fact that of course our pupils must respect the language and culture of the country but of course they also have to learn to speak good English, know about the rest of the world and learn to take their place in a society in which communication with the outside world has to be skilled and mutually respectful as well as profitable. Excuse me, did I hear someone say, "The English medium schools are training our children to be foreigners"? He or she is welcome to check out my school any time!
|
|
