A/HRC/12/33 page 17 72. In Latin America, bilingual and intercultural approaches to education are widely promoted and have been found to have a certain degree of success in the preservation of identity and culture and vital in tackling discrimination and the exclusion of indigenous peoples.26 73. Joint curriculum development between indigenous peoples and education ministries has had a tremendous impact not only in terms of achieving results but also of relationship-building and commitment to partnership and inclusiveness. Close collaboration with mainstream education authorities is needed to bring about a change in attitude by education officers and State institutions.27 Such a change, and the seriousness of States in carrying out their responsibilities, will determine the progress of implementing the right to education of indigenous peoples. F. Teaching of indigenous languages 74. Mother-tongue-based bilingual and multilingual education has had a positive impact in many countries.28 Governments and donors now recognize initiatives by indigenous organizations as effective strategies to bridge education for indigenous children in mainstream education institutions; in many countries, they receive financial support from the State. 75. The main concept of mother-tongue-based bilingual and multilingual education is that, once a child learns his or her indigenous language well, learning other languages will be easier. The benefits of mother-tongue-based multilingual education include a better personal and conceptual foundation for learning (if indigenous languages are learnt well and not suppressed); access to more information and opportunities (knowing other languages and other cultures); and more flexible thinking processes, thanks to the ability to process information in two languages. 76. Most indigenous children are disadvantaged when they join primary schools and cannot speak the national language, which is usually the teaching medium. Valuable lessons learned to decrease this disadvantage include using a participatory approach whereby indigenous representatives are involved in decision-making processes, developing books and materials, managing lessons and selecting community members to be trained as language teachers.29 26 Submissions indicating bilingual and intercultural education were received from Argentina, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico and Nicaragua. 27 Submission by the British Columbia Ministry of Education and FNESC. 28 Submissions referring to mother-tongue-based bilingual or multilingual education were received from Argentina, Australia, Bangladesh, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Cambodia, Canada, Colombia, Ecuador, Finland, Malaysia, Mexico, Namibia, Nepal, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, the Philippines, South Africa and Thailand. 29 Submissions by Zabarang Kalyan Samiti (Bangladesh); CARE (Cambodia); Sunuwar Welfare Society (Nepal); and ILO (on teacher training in Peru).