Mr. Mathura Bikash Tripura - Zabarang Kalyan Samity, Bangladesh
Thank you Madam Chair,
Actually, in the Chittagong Hill Tracks of Bangladesh about 56.8% of the
children from 6-10 years is the group enrolled into primary schools. And
among them 60% drop out from the early primary stage, which is actually
double the national rate of drop-out. So this happened because of the
irrelevancy of curriculum with the local culture and social context.
Language, barriers between teachers and students, recruitment of teachers
from the outsider community, and less number of schools in remoteness.
We have very good policy frameworks in Bangladesh, but willingness and
interest of government and political parties in minority children education
is not so strong. So from 2006 minority [not clear] and UNDPN [not clear]
organisations started to work with mother tongue based multilingual
education issues. Who tries to cover the minority culture and languages as
[other] issues of [further] education.
And minority children and adults participation in all aspects of the
education [municipalities] central of this program. So we used a very
scientific way of reaching from first language to the second language
gradually, like in the first year we use 100% mother tongue to build
confidence in the mother tongue, oral preparation, literacy [not clear] and
many of these things. And in the second year we use 90% mother tongue
and 10% the national language. And through this way we gradually bring
the formal education system.
But still there are some challenges like introducing good practice models in
centralised government education system is a very challenging issue
because the system is not flexible, the national system. And political
commitment of the government to translate the policies, strategies and
programs into practice is still very weak. And goodness among the actors
in education in mother tongue of religious peoples it is also challenging
issues.
Therefore, we need a more investment in bottom-up capacity development.
So, eventually I would like to say some thoughts on the recommendations
to support the national governments to deliver on government to minority
education through policy [avocations] and initiatives, with particular focus
on transfer authority and resources for education delivery to the local
government bodies because this… we have very many good systems in the
local government system, but still there are some missing links between
the central government and the local government. And there is some
intervention needed to strengthen local capacity for locally [religion]
participatory education, which builds their culture and languages of the
minority groups. And parity is needed for flexible delivery methods for all
educational programs, to insure a quality and inclusive education for
indigenous peoples, and [interiors] mother tongue based education
through/in government system is very important. And involve minority led
institutions like the local government bodies and local actors like the civil
society and NGOs in [enter] processes of the government is needed.