The Japanese Language Teachers’ Association of Bangladesh (Jaltab) has urged the government to introduce Japanese as a foreign language at the high school level, saying growing demand for Japanese language skills among Bangladeshi youths justifies its inclusion in the national curriculum.
The call came at a seminar titled “Introducing Japanese Language at School Level in Bangladesh”, held at the Department of Japanese Language and Culture of the Institute of Modern Languages at the University of Dhaka.
Japanese Language Teachers’ Association of Bangladesh President Mohammed Ansarul Alam welcomed the government’s policy of introducing multiple foreign languages at the secondary level and urged policymakers to include Japanese in the first phase of the initiative.
He said demand for Japanese language proficiency has risen steadily as increasing numbers of Bangladeshis seek higher education and employment opportunities linked to Japan.
Alam said Jaltab and the Japan Foundation were ready to support the initiative by providing teacher training, developing teaching materials and conducting the surveys and research needed to implement the programme.
Joining the seminar virtually from Japan, former Japan Foundation Senior Expert Kei Shirai praised the government’s multilingual education initiative and encouraged Bangladesh to draw lessons from South and Southeast Asian countries where Japanese has already been introduced in schools.
Other speakers also endorsed the proposal, saying Japanese language education would expand academic and career opportunities for Bangladeshi students.
Hiroshima University Teaching Fellow Ahmedul Azam and Aichi University of Education PhD researcher Tarek Rahman joined the seminar online and shared their experiences in support of introducing Japanese at the school level.
Jahangirnagar University teacher and JUAAB representative Fazilatun Nesa Shieuly said the success of the initiative would depend on ensuring job security and competitive salaries for language teachers.
Jaltab General Secretary Kuniaki Okabayashi proposed forming a delegation to engage with the relevant authorities to advance the proposal.
The association said it would share the seminar’s recommendations with policymakers and other stakeholders before taking further steps to expedite the introduction of Japanese language education at the high school level in Bangladesh.
