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Article Title: CLT in English Language Teaching: An Investigation into the Present Condition of Urban Primary Schools in Bangladesh
by Shahela Khanam, Muhammad Azizul Hoque (PhD)

Abstract:
On observation of the importance and necessity of communication in English, like many other ESL/EFL countries, Bangladesh launched the Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) approach for teaching English. After many years of its inception, students� lack of proficiency raises the question on the effective implementation of the approach. Hence, we think the implementation of CLT should be driven from the root level. Therefore, this study tried to investigate how much CLT approach is being implemented in English language teaching at the primary level. Following the qualitative research, data were collected through online interviews of 20 teachers and 20 students and were analysed drawing upon thematic analysis. The findings indicate that CLT is not as implemented here as expected by the approach. They show that classrooms are still teacher-centred; learners are not well-engaged; fluency is still out of concern, and classroom tasks are not communicative. The implementation has been challenged by several factors, including students' fear of exams, their English phobia, lack of facilities to support CLT and improper classroom arrangement. The study also provides a range of practical recommendations for the authorities and teachers of primary schools, ministry, educators, and policymakers for further implementation of CLT to help to bring the success in implementing the approach in Bangladesh.

Keywords: Communicative language Teaching (CLT), English Language Teaching (ELT), Primary Schools, City areas, Bangladesh

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