Feature

English in action-having fun with english

Dr. Silverine de Silva

“English in Action” the second of its kind, was once again held in all its pomp and grandeur with enthusiastic students and teachers pulling themselves together to make it a success… and a success it was!

Time was limited, holidays between, yet teachers and students worked day and night, not just to win, but to participate collectively.

Organized by the Department of English, of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS), American International University-Bangladesh (AIUB), under the able guidance and leadership of its Head, Dr. Faheem Hasan Shahed, the event took a new turn with the introduction of one new category.

The categories that students participated were: Oration, Impromptu Speaking, Dramatic Monologue, Choral Recitation, Manuscript reading and the new event - One-Act Play.

The semi final round selected six contestants for the finals in Oration, three finalists in Impromptu Speaking, three in Dramatic Monologue, five groups in Choral Recitation, four in Manuscript Reading and four groups in One-Act Play.

This year's contest was not restricted to the students of English, but was also open to the Business Communication students. It should be noted that all the finalists for the Choral Recitation category emerged from the Business Communication sections.

At the end of the day there was only one winner in each category and the winner takes it all…

Judging the competition were Dr. Charles Villanueva, Dean, FASS, Ehsanul Huda Chowdhury, Director, MBA and Carlin Lamagna, Faculty, FASS and Deputy Director, Planning and Development, all of AIUB along with Shanoor Wahid, Editor Star Campus.

The Chief Guest for the occasion was Asaduzaman Nur MP, renowned Media personality Theater Activist, and Managing Director, Desh TV Limited.

Welcoming the audience, Dr. Faheem Hasan Shaheed expressed his appreciation that many students participated in the semi finals, and he was very pleased to see the enthusiasm shown by both the teachers and students.

He also mentioned that the Department of English of AIUB is hoping, next year onwards to extend this programme and invite other universities to participate in the next “ENGLISH IN ACTION” event.

He thanked the Dean for his (the Dean's) unstinted support in organizing such programmes and all the teachers of the Department along with teachers of other departments who supported behind the scenes.

Dr. Charles Villanueva reiterated the point made by Dr. Shaheed and said that his office will leave no stone unturned to ensure that ENGLISH IN ACTION spreads its wings outside the premises of AIUB.

He stressed on the importance of English in the competitive world we live in and said that competitions of this kind will help students enhance their knowledge of the language in an environment outside the classroom.

The programme concluded with the award giving ceremony to all the winners. The teachers of the students who participated were given Certificates of Recognition for the effort put in.

The winners are:
Oration - Kazi Afroza Mim
Impromptu Speaking - Hafiz Rakibul
Dramatic Monologue - Nur Wahida Zuchrifah
Manuscript Reading - Rizvi Terisa
Choral Recitation - Business Communication Section I
One-Act Play - English Writing Skills and Communication Section B

(The writer is an Assistant Professor, Department of English, FASS, AIUB)