Abstract:
In Bangladesh, a large group of students study in the Aliya madra sas that provide both religious and secular education. According to the new
curriculum, the students studying at the Aliya madrasas must learn English
language from Ebtedayee level (primary) and continue until Kamil (masters)
level. However, the reports from BANBEIS and World Bank (2015) have
revealed that the English language proficiency of the students are below the
standard. Therefore, this study is an attempt to explore the English language
teaching and learning approaches applied at Dakhil level in Aliya madrasas.
Dakhil level is considered equivalent to S.S.C or secondary level education
in Bangladesh. Data for the study was collected using a mixed method that
included a questionnaire survey, interviews and focus group discussion. A
total 50 teachers and 200 students from ten Aliya madrasas participated in
the survey. The major findings revealed that CLT methods were not properly
implemented in the Aliya madrasas at Dakhil level. Lack of adequately
trained teachers, backdated syllabus, lack of necessary teaching aids, large
class size and prevalence of traditional language teaching methods have
been identified as the major causes for the poor teaching and learning of
English language at the Aliya madrasas in Bangladesh.
Keywords: CLT, Aliya Madrasa, Dakhil level, ELT, NCTB, English for
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