Themes and Sub-Themes
The conference welcomes theoretical, empirical, pedagogical, interdisciplinary, and practice-based submissions related to (but not limited to) the following themes:
Call for Papers
ULAB-TESOL BD 2nd International Conference on
English for Specific Purposes 2026
Conference Date: 9 October 2026
Venue: ULAB Permanent Campus
Theme
From Margin to Mainstream: Restructuring Institutional ESP for Sustainable National Development
Organized by
Center for Language Studies (CLS), ULAB
and
TESOL Society of Bangladesh (TESOL-BD)
Conference Overview
As Bangladesh continues to expand its participation in the global economy, the demand for specialized English communication skills across sectors such as garments, healthcare, migration, IT, tourism, media, engineering, development, and entrepreneurship has increased significantly. English is no longer viewed merely as an academic subject; it has become a crucial professional resource tied directly to employability, mobility, workplace productivity, and national development.
Despite this growing demand, a persistent gap remains between university-level English language education and the communicative realities of workplaces and industries. Employers frequently report that graduates often lack sector-specific communicative competence, while universities struggle to balance academic rigor with professional applicability in curriculum design. In Bangladesh and across the Global South, this challenge is further complicated by unequal access to quality English education, resource limitations, and the socio-cultural politics surrounding language, class, and globalization.
Against this backdrop, the Center for Language Studies (CLS), ULAB and the TESOL Society of Bangladesh (TESOL-BD) jointly invite scholars, researchers, educators, policymakers, development practitioners, corporate professionals, and graduate students to submit proposals for the International ESP Conference 2026 on the theme “From Margin to Mainstream: Restructuring Institutional ESP for Sustainable National Development.”
The conference seeks to critically examine the present realities, emerging trends, pedagogical innovations, and policy implications of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) within Bangladesh and comparable Global South contexts. It aims to create meaningful dialogue between academia and industry while envisioning ESP as a sustainable professional discipline capable of contributing to national capacity building and global workforce preparedness.
Conference Objectives
The conference aims to:
- Explore the current state, future potential, and challenges of ESP in Bangladesh and comparable Global South contexts
- Examine the role of ESP in education, workforce development, employability, migration, and economic growth
- Bridge the gap between academia and industry through responsive curriculum development and needs-based pedagogy
- Investigate strategies for improving workplace communication and productivity through English
- Encourage interdisciplinary collaboration among educators, researchers, employers, policymakers, and development sectors
- Promote discussions on institutionalizing ESP as a recognized professional and academic discipline at the tertiary level
- Generate policy recommendations for sustainable ESP integration in higher education and professional training sectors
