Santals demand textbooks in Roman alphabet

Indigenous people of Santal community formed a human chain and held a rally at Bus Stand Intersection in Nachole municipality yesterday, demanding textbooks for their pre-primary school children in Roman alphabet.

Santal people, including women and children, from different areas of the district joined the hour-long programme from 11:00am.

Speakers at the rally, organised by Uttarbanga Adivasi Forum's Chapainawabganj unit, said Roman alphabet is being used for writing Santal language since 1863.

It is the responsibility of the government to ensure that the textbooks are written in Roman alphabet for Santal kids, they said, adding that the authorities concerned must take immediate steps to save Santal language.

Santal kids are deprived of learning their own language as there are no textbooks in their mother language, written in Roman alphabet.

They urged the government to take necessary initiative to prepare pre-primary textbooks for Santal kids.

Among others, Hingu Murmu, president of Uttarbanga Adivasi Parishad, Kornelius Murmu, president of Santal Samonnay Parishad, Sadar upazila unit, Stephen Soren, secretary of Tabitha Sangbad, a magazine for Santal community people, and Provat Tudu, secretary of Santal Lekhak Forum, spoke at the rally.