A/HRC/48/74 students are provided with State support when studying indigenous cultures and languages, or traditional occupations, thereby enabling indigenous youth to return to their communities. 65. The participation of indigenous peoples, including children, in the planning of educational systems and curricula is essential. Children’s voices should be incorporated at all stages of research, as is being done at the University of Greenland, where children report security and mutual respect as central elements of a good learning environment. The indigenous communities of Greenland are establishing educational programmes based on their world view. They emphasize indigenous learning methods, such as dialogue, are community-centred and integrate modern technology. It is also critical that indigenous children, particularly girls, are aware of their rights. 53 The National Human Rights Commission of Mexico has organized workshops and training sessions and published workbooks for children, parents and teachers on children’s rights. 2. Access to education in indigenous languages 66. Language and education are inextricably linked. Early mother tongue education has proven critical to the ability of indigenous children to learn in any language and increased the time they remain in school. Many indigenous children have no or limited access to education in their own languages. They continue to be taught in dominant languages and frequently do not have access to educational materials in their own languages. Indigenous children with disabilities generally learn in a dominant language, as materials in accessible formats are not available in their own languages. 67. Lack of education in an indigenous language can lead to a total lack of access to education. Indigenous children in remote areas of Bangladesh traditionally had challenges accessing education as they did not speak the language of instruction. Since the signing of the Chittagong Hill Tracts accord in 1997, their right to primary education in their mother tongue has been recognized by national law. Indigenous peoples’ organizations have developed learning materials, but the steps taken by the Government towards implementation will be essential for their full enjoyment of that right.54 68. Age and location are often the determinants of whether an indigenous child has access to schooling in their own language. Learning in one’s own language at primary levels provides a solid foundation, even if a student is educated in another language in later years. Educational curricula in Africa are often designed and controlled centrally by States. This affects learning in indigenous communities, leading to a decline in the use of indigenous languages. In Morocco and Algeria, Amazigh children are taught primarily in Arabic, later in French and only have the option to learn in Amazigh in some regions from the age of 10. In Greenland, Inuit children have access to instruction in the Kalaallisut language, but they must be fluent in Danish or English to continue with higher education. 69. Availability of education in indigenous languages is important at all ages and States should make efforts to establish learning opportunities in indigenous languages whenever possible. Norway has incorporated the Sami language into its Education Act, which guarantees teaching in Sami for primary levels in Sami districts. However, for Sami children at the same level living outside delineated Sami districts, mother tongue education is only guaranteed when there are a specified number of students wishing to be taught in Sami. The right to learn the Sami language is guaranteed to all Sami children in primary levels regardless of district.55 3. Impact of COVID-19 on the right to education 70. The digital environment is becoming an essential part of children’s lives, including their education. However, indigenous children often have less good access to education owing to the digital divide, which has been exacerbated during the pandemic. Indigenous communities, particularly remote ones, frequently have worse Internet access rates than non53 54 55 Submissions to the fourteenth session of the Expert Mechanism by the African Indigenous Women’s Association and UNICEF. Intervention by Zabarang Kalyan Samity. Norwegian Education Act (1998), section 6. 13