[mukto-mona] My story C.H.T. by Biplob Rahman.

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SPECIAL Indigenous people should get education in native tongue: Debashish     Dhaka, Feb 6 (bdnews24.com) - The government has to take the lead in educating indigenous people in their native tongue, special assistant to the chief adviser Debashish Roy has said. Indigenous communities in Bangladesh have been fighting for years for the right to preserve and practice their mother tongues, Debashish, also Chakma Circle Chief, told bdnews24.com. They have also been appealing for successive governments to take initiatives to recognise their native languages, he added. Indigenous communities fear that their myriad languages and dialects, along with their remarkable culture and traditions, will die away if initiatives are not taken urgently to conserve them. If indigenous people do not receive support and recognition for education in their native languages, these languages will eventually be lost, Debashish cautioned. This is a very real threat. According to UNESCO, of the 5000 languages spoken globally 50 percent are endangered. On average, two languages are lost a week. There are 2,500,000 (25 lakh) people belonging to 45 different indigenous communities in Bangladesh. Of these 15 indigenous communities live in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (Rangamati, Bandarban, and Khagrachhari). Mymensingh, Sylhet, Rajshahi, Rangpur and Barisal also have settlements of indigenous communities. Indigenous representatives have so far been unsuccessful in their attempts to persuade schools in their areas to teach their mother-languages alongside Bangla, which they feel would enhance their children's respect for the Bangla language as well as giving them the opportunity to study in their own native tongue. They have been seeking government assistance on this issue for the last four years. Roy, in charge for Chittagong Hill Tracts affairs, believes that being educated in the mother tongue is a child's birthright, and is preparing to submit an official petition to the education ministry to ensure the right. "The opportunity to study in their mother tongue will enhance the educational potential of indigenous children," the Chakma chief said. "It will further enhance their respect for the Bangla language as well." General secretary of Bangladesh Indigenous People's Forum Sanjib Drang feels that government education programmes are urgently needed if the indigenous languages are not to be eclipsed by the Bangla language. "The government in a collaborative process with indigenous community leaders must decide how to educate indigenous people from different areas in their respective native languages." "The government will have to take the first key steps," Sanjib, a Garo community leader, stressed. "If the traditional languages of the indigenous people become extinct, a significant part of our heritage will be endangered." Santal community leader Rabindra Soren says the government setting up indigenous education programmes alone is not enough. "They will also need to appoint indigenous instructors, arrange the publication of indigenous language textbooks and create an appropriate curriculum." He said the government could draw from the experiences of two Santal primary schools that have been running for the past few years at Borshapara and Shundorpara in Godagari, Rajshahi. Shuddhoswatto Bikash Tonchonga of the CHT Forest and Land Conservation Movement suggested: "In areas where more than one indigenous dialect are spoken, the government can consult indigenous leaders in choosing which one to teach." "Many of the indigenous languages don't have any written script or alphabet of their own," he pointed out, adding that in such cases the decision on what script to use should also be taken after consultation. He referred to the Chakma, Marma and Tonchonga schools that were set up in the 1960s: "These schools eventually shut down due to lack of government support." Though a few private organisations have made renewed efforts to set up indigenous language schools in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, these initiatives are still inadequate. As Zuam Lian Amlai, president of CHT's Bawm Social Council, points out: "All indigenous people in the country are bilingual. They speak Bangla as well as their native tongue." "Government initiatives to educate indigenous people in their traditional languages will serve as recognition of their rights." bdnews24.com/br/mi/ma/aa/rah/bd/1357hours

--
Biplob Rahman
Sr. Correspondent
bdnews24.com
Dhaka, Bangladesh.
PH:   +88 02 911 6877
        +88 0171 338 9916

Fax:  +88 02 9119 668

Thanks.
--
MMR Jalal.
"Pheeray Dekhun Ekattor. Ghuray Darak Bangladesh."

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