Learning in ethnic languages
The laudable initiative of the government to impart education to ethnic communities in their mother tongue faces a setback at its take-off stage due to delayed distribution of books. A report published in this newspaper on February 22 reveals that students of the Tripura community in Bandarban district are yet to receive a single book.
In some cases, the distributed number of books falls short of the demand. The local authorities of the Bandarban district had estimated that 5,121 copies would be needed for students of the three ethnic minorities. So far only 744 copies of pre-primary textbooks have been distributed. How come after passing of almost two months of the education year students do not get their textbooks? When contacted, the textbook authority could not give any valid reason behind this undue delay in printing books. It clearly indicates their inefficiency if not insincerity.
Again, the government has distributed only pre-primary text books. There is no visible initiative yet to print textbooks for students of class-I and above in those five languages. The government should also include other ethnic languages in this initiative, many of which are facing imminent threat of extinction.
Offering education in the mother tongue is the best way to preserve and revitalize the ethnic languages and ensure development of the deprived communities. We urge the government to expedite the book distribution process and take necessary steps to ensure that every child can complete at least primary education in their mother tongue.
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