Our history of love and sacrifice for the Bangla language is very old

Our history of love and sacrifice for the Bangla language is very old. The most important achievement of the 1952 Language Movement was to establish the mother tongue in the state and educational systems. But in reality, we remain dependent on English for higher education and the pursuit of knowledge to this day. Dhaka University—where the Language Movement originated—is now where almost all research, theory, and curricula are Euro-centric.

In this reality, the question arises: despite so many movements and struggles, why could we not develop higher education through our mother tongue? During the colonial rule, the English language was the main tool of administrative control. Even after independence, the value of English has continued to rise as recognition for international communication, higher education, and professional advancement. As a result, we have unwittingly fallen victim to a kind of “epistemic colonization,” where the fundamental basis of the pursuit of knowledge rests on the language and culture of others.

In this age of globalization, knowing English is not entirely unnecessary—English is essential for research, international conferences, and scientific publication. But the problem arises when our mother tongue gradually moves away from the field of knowledge creation. Social and cultural attitudes also play a role behind this. A large section of the educated middle and upper classes thinks that English is the benchmark of progress and nobility.

Due to the lack of adequate books on science, technology, or advanced research in Bangla and limited opportunities for publishing these on international platforms, many consider the pursuit of knowledge in Bangla to be a waste of time. Consequently, the higher one rises in class terms, the more English-oriented they become. Even if a university teacher wants to write research or essays, English is their reliance for international recognition. This is moving the Bangla language away from the mainstream of research, and the number of people proficient in Bangla in the upper-class circles is also gradually decreasing.

In this way, the development of the language is hindered in the long run, the severity of the consequence of which is not yet clear. Of course, there are some advantages to accepting English. The doors of global communication open, international standard recognition is met, and textbooks and research from the world's best universities become readily available. But our loss is no less from ignoring the mother tongue Bangla. First, our own epistemological foundation is not being built; we are busy reproducing Western thoughts and theories.

Second, due to a lack of fundamental research in Bangla, our students do not get the opportunity to think fundamentally. Third, in building the framework of democracy, we are also following the European model—whose underlying social and cultural reality is different from ours. Consequently, no matter how many movements take place for democracy and rights, the core structure of true democracy has not yet been established. Furthermore, the dominance of English in higher education creates linguistic discrimination, because not all students or citizens know English with equal proficiency. So what is the solution?

It is not possible to unilaterally reject English, nor is it beneficial to leave the mother tongue behind like this. Therefore, a bilingual framework can be built—where English will be used for international research and publication, while equal importance should be given to Bangla in internal teaching and knowledge creation. The state and educational system must be encouraged so that the publication of quality textbooks and research papers for higher education in Bangla increases.

A balanced curriculum from primary to secondary levels is needed, where proficiency in both Bangla and English can be achieved. At the same time, an online and offline knowledge-based network can be built involving Bengali researchers and professors living at home and abroad, where the opportunity to publish research papers, articles, and books in the Bangla language will be further expanded.

Most importantly, because we have not been able to build the theoretical foundation of our values, justice, injustice, equity, and morality in our language, the democratic framework fails repeatedly. The model of European democracy that we follow has different social roots. If the concept of democracy can be reconstructed by considering our cultural roots, perhaps stability will come to the political structure. And for this, there is no alternative to the pursuit of knowledge, thinking, and research in the mother tongue.

The use of Bangla in higher education is not just a question of linguistic dignity; it is also intricately linked with knowledge production, cultural development, and sustaining our own democratic framework. We have seen many movements since 1952, but true independence will come only when we can build our thoughts and systems based on our language and culture.

English and other international languages must certainly be learned, but only by creating a stream of fundamental thought and research centered around the mother tongue can we transform into a truly knowledge-rich and self-reliant nation. To that end, it is crucial for us to become vocal from now on.