Abstract
The current study particularly investigated if the teachers gave thought to the linguistic and cultural background of the Chakma students while teaching English and preparing materials for giving them English lessons. The researchers interviewed 10 EFL (English as Foreign Language) teachers from 10 primary schools located in Chakma majority areas, observed 10 EFL classrooms of the same schools and analyzed the English textbooks of National Curriculum and Textbook Board for class one to five to elicit data. The data were analyzed by content analysis and cross-case analysis. The study identified that mostly Bengali speaking teachers having inadequate knowledge of Chakma language and culture were teaching English to the Chakma children. Besides, the lessons of the English textbooks did not include activities that might interest the children of that particular ethnic group. Hence, it is imperative that the government consider ethnicity while recruiting EFL teachers for the Chakma majority areas, and the EFL textbooks should be developed separately for the Chakma speaking children.
Keywords: Chakma students, cultural and linguistic background, EFL textbooks, ethnicity