The ways of viability in developing reading skill in English language at secondary level in Sylhet

摘要

This paper tries to investigate the current practices of developing reading skill in English at secondary level in the city of Sylhet. The paper focuses on the transition of L2 learners’ interest in developing reading skill; why once upon a time reading was one of the two chief goals of learning foreign languages and how the purpose of reading has now been changed. The importance of reading religious literature in Greek and Latin languages necessitated the development of Grammar Translation Method (Richards, 2001). But, now the concept of learning second or foreign language has become changed. Learning of a foreign language is today seldom knowledge oriented practice. The central focus of learning foreign language is now communication. But the learning of English cannot be significant merely from this point of view; it is rather working as an inevitable means of acquiring knowledge throughout the globe. In the context of Bangladesh, English Language is certainly a key to higher education; why in this age of Communicative Language Teaching or CLT, reading literature which are written in English is essential part of teaching and learning particularly in academic life. However, the secondary level of education plays vital role in building students’ career as a preparatory level of higher education. But the English reading skill of the students of this level particularly in Sylhet city is not still up to the mark. Students spend five years of their valuable time of educational life at this stage, but the result of learning English particularly for developing reading skill cannot fully enable or prepare them to smoothly continue the upper level of education. This study will attempt to identify some major problems in terms of developing reading skill, and will also find out some viable solutions for those problems.