Given the significance of English in the global world, English language teaching in Bangladesh has become subject to a supreme concern in maintaining economic growth and developing a skilled workforce. In this article, several barriers have been discussed based on a critical analysis of published materials. This review article covers several key issues such as the status of English in the country; English in education policies; factors affecting the implementation of communicative language teaching curriculum, method, and materials in Bangladesh; validity of the current assessment and its washback effect on English language teaching in Bangladesh; and current situation of teachers' professional development. The article concluded with language policy and planning implications for policymakers, curriculum and material developers, public exams' test-setters, and future English teacher training programmes, keeping the overall development of ELT in Bangladesh in mind.

This paper attempts a study of the present state of teaching and learning English at the secondary schools in Bangladesh. It offers an analysis of the current English curriculum and textbooks for the secondary grades and explores the current classroom practices through classroom observation and teachers' interview. The classroom observations were conducted to identify the features of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) approach prescribed by the curriculum and syllabus document of National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) as the desired approach for teaching English at secondary level schools in Bangladesh. The paper also attempts to identify connections between the curriculum objectives and the classroom realities faced by the teachers and seeks suggestions for achieving the stated objectives. Some of the key recommendations include -strengthening of the teacher development initiatives, redefining the entry and exit levels of the learners, providing alternative and supplementary instructional materials and reforming the assessment system.

The quality and effectiveness of EAP courses offered to the students aspiring to study in the private universities in Bangladesh is a matter of increasing concern for the teachers and students alike. All the 56 private universities emerged in the country within a span of not more than two decades, use English as their medium of instruction. Students of most of these universities are sorely aware of the difficulties to carry on their studies due to limited proficiency and study skills in English. Although every university in Bangladesh offers English courses which are supposed to meet the required language needs of the students of various disciplines, it is time to raise question about the efficiency of these courses and the extent they actually address the needs of the students. This study focuses on the efficacy of the EAP courses offered to the students of pharmacy discipline at the University of Asia Pacific (UAP), a private university in Bangladesh. The study examines the content and structure of the EAP courses and explores the academic as well as work-related needs of the potential pharmacy professionals to formulate strategies that may reinforce the overall effectiveness of such English language programs. The study was based on a needs-analysis survey of 40 undergraduate level students of Department of Pharmacy and four teachers who teach the EAP courses at the same university. It is found from the study that the current EAP courses have major drawbacks in meeting learners' expectations and replicating the acquired language skills for both academic and professional purposes. It is recommended that the EAP courses could be further improved by incorporating materials relevant to the core subject and by putting more emphasis on writing and speaking skills, the two productive skills that are considered most important and difficult by the students concerned.Keywords: EAP, needs analysis, tertiary education, professional needs, pharmacy students, Bangladesh, UAP Introduction Introduction to the ProblemAll the private universities in Bangladesh offer at least two semesters of English language teaching. Most offer a foundation course in the first semester covering the basic components of the language, and more advanced courses in the second semester covering topics like advanced writing, English composition, English communication skills, presentation and public speaking skills, report writing etc. Most of these courses can be classified as English for Academic Purposes (EAP).EAP has been described as first, a move away from an emphasis on the literature and culture of English speakers towards a more practical command of the language; and, second, a move towards a view that the teaching of the language should be matched to the needs and purposes of the language learners. The English language courses taught at the tertiary level are usually EAP courses, since the objectives of these courses are not only to give students a practical command of English but also to enable them to use the language in the study ...

Both cooperative and collaborative learning are learner-centered teaching approaches in English Language Teaching (ELT) to support active learning, shared learning, inductive learning, and autonomous learning. However, definitional and conceptual clarity of these two concepts did not receive as much attention as they deserve. As a result, these two terms are often confused, conflated or used interchangeably. This review paper critiqued the two terms by revealing their components, identifying their commonalities as well as variances, and explicating their theoretical bases and exploring their role in fostering learner autonomy. Searching and reviewing published literature were used to achieve the objectives of the study. The study perceived that cooperative learning is the educational technique that uses small groups of students guided by the teacher to benefit their individual and each other’s learning whereas collaborative learning is a philosophy of interaction of a learning group where people take responsibility for their own learning while recognizing their peers’ abilities and contributions. Both the approaches foster autonomous learning behavior where cooperative learning is considered the foundation stage for collaborative learning. This article will benefit current and future ELT practitioners and researchers of this emerging field of pedagogy by providing a clearer analyses of the terms and role in fostering learner autonomy.