Researching English as a Language for International Development (ELFID) in Bangladesh and Beyond

Abstract

My interest in the relationship between English language learning and economic development began in 2008 when, as part of my role as a lecturer in English language teaching and international education at the Open University, UK (OU), I started working on the large-scale English language teaching project in Bangladesh: English in Action (EIA).[1] This project, which was to run from 2008-2017, was funded with £50 million from the UK Department of International Development. It was devised in consultation with the Government of Bangladesh and implemented by BMB Mott MacDonald (now Cambridge Education), the Open University UK, BBC Media Action, FIVBD (Friends in Village Development Bangladesh) and UCEP (Underprivileged Children’s Educational Programs) Bangladesh. During the first phase of the project, I was a member of the team that the OU was leading, which was charged with enhancing English language learning through the professional development of teachers, through technology-based interventions in government primary and secondary schools. The OU also led the project research, monitoring and evaluation team, of which I was a member (for more on the project see Eyres, McCormick, & Power, 2018). EIA was based on the assumption that an improvement in English language teaching in Bangladesh would result in the economic development of the country. The project slogan was “Changing learning, changing lives”[2] and its stated aims were to enable: 25 million Bangladeshi adults and school children to improve their English language skills that will help them access better economic and social opportunities. … English in Action is about equipping the poorest people with language skills that will help them find jobs, engage in entrepreneurial activities and improve their standard of living https://www.eiabd.com/about-eia.html (2018). [1]https://www.eiabd.com/ [2]https://www.facebook.com/EnglishInActionBangladesh/