provided for minority language groups is ignored. There is often a lack of political will, besides a lack of any positive policy on language and education in favour of linguistic minorities. c) Poor planning and preparation Where there is some effort to use minority languages, the range and quality of the programme is often limited to one textbook and few, if any, supporting materials. The quality of the materials is often poor, not just in production, but also in content, especially when materials are centrally developed, ignoring the input of local communities. Local mother tongue speaking teachers who may (or may not) be employed, often do not receive sufficient training. And not enough time given to develop L1 or the bridging process, offering a way out for governments who then suggest that MLE does not work. c) Scripting the language Most of the languages are unwritten, and not officially recognized. Some languages are treated as dialects and therefore are not seen as legitimate in their own right. Some will argue that the trouble and cost of developing writing systems, literature and curriculum is too high. However, with the help of linguists, it is not impossible to work out the orthography and grammar which is then used as the basis for developing curriculum and building a corpus of educational materials. d) Underdeveloped languages Some argue that these languages do not have appropriate educational terminology, but Mohanty (2006) suggests that the “disabilities and disadvantages associated with minor languages are not inherent; they are socially constructed with institutionalised discriminations in educational, political, economic and other social spheres.” It is their exclusion from education and other domains which have prevented these languages from developing and results in weaknesses. This lack is then used to justify further neglect and exclusion. Inclusion in education will help to break this cycle of deprivation, and strengthen the languages. e) Multiple languages There is the very real challenge of multiple languages in a classroom. This is not just the challenge of dealing with one minority and one majority language, but of a number of languages whether minority or majority. Some schools may serve a number of different communities and developing strategies for dealing with the multiplicity of languages needs to be addressed. f) Local teachers The lack of trained teachers, or even of those who are able to be trained is a perennial problem; but investing in training for teachers chosen by the local community will ensure an education of a higher quality than if teachers are brought in from outside. It is often too much of a challenge for teachers who are not mother tongue speakers to teach in places, often located in remote regions, where language is a barrier to learning.