Transcript Language and Learning: MLE Initiatives in Nepal Nordic Conference Denmark June 2012 Lava Deo Awasthi, PhD Email: [email protected].

Language and Learning: MLE
Initiatives in Nepal
Nordic Conference
Denmark
June 2012
Lava Deo Awasthi, PhD
Email: [email protected]
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Contents
 Languages as Pedigrees of Nation
 Initiatives Taken for a New Language Order in
Nepal
 Challenges
 How to Change?
 The Way Forward: Moving Towards Actions
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Languages as Pedigrees of Nation
 Nepal’s multilingual construct
 More than 100 languages in use
 Languages and cultures thrived
 People lived in harmony
 Monolingual construct : Imported ideology
 Wood Commission (1956): Macaulay Minutes (1835)
 One Language Policy: Legacy of English
 Spread of power language(s); threat to linguistic diversity and
co-existence
 Over a period of time minority languages faced marginalization
(following a model of English)
Initiatives Taken for a New Language Order
in Nepal
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Empowering languages by law and employing mother
tongues for pedagogies
Applying principle of first language served first
Introducing oral approach in school (more than 70
languages are without written systems)
Introducing grade teaching (one teacher one class) and
Multi-grade teaching forming language groups (more
than one class with one teacher)
Introducing mother tongues in Early Childhood
Development programmes (home – school continuum)
Developing indigenized learning materials
Mother tongues as medium of instruction and medium
testing
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Initiatives Taken…
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contd
MLE piloting in six districts: received encouraging results - high
attendance and participation, students’ engaged in cognitive
processes, raising self esteems
MLE provisions targeted in 7500 schools across Nepal
6000 teachers are being trained for MLE in schools
Establishment of MLE Resource Centre for professional support
Local communities are taking initiatives and setting inspiring
examples
Education Journalists forming national networks - MLE teams
Political consensus and strong popular support
Inspirations drawn from studies carried out in the region
including India (Bodo Assam), the Philippines,
Bangladesh(Chitagong Hills), China, Yunnan Province (Zero
Barrier Bilingual Education Project)
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Challenges
 Inadequate strategies at local and global levels
for overcoming inequality in education resulted
due to denial to mother tongues
 Lack of collaboration to mobilize multiple
stakeholders from centre to schools
 Stereotyping in policy formulation and
pedagogical practices
 Reproduction in Pedagogy – teachers’ Gurukul
habitus
 Inadequate systemic support
 Influence of English and globalization
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How to Change?
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From problem orientations to resource orientations
Enabling environment for resource convertibility
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Capacity, resource and use of Mother Tongues
Recognizing:
 Mother tongue medium education as a foundation
 Centrality of teachers: response at local levels
 Indigenized knowledge in curricula and textbooks
 Pedagogical choice – oral approach
 Focus on cognition and learning, not on forms and rote
memorization
 Mother tongue as medium of testing
 Community based education – decentralized model
 Collaboration and sharing at local and global levels
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The Way Forward: Moving Towards Actions
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Mapping our roles: Who should do what?
Educational institutions: Inclusiveness in response and service
delivery
Indigenous and professional organizations: Activism for
language enrichment and language revitalization
Helping people make informed choices
Government systems: Pronouncement of policy intentions:
enabling environment , coordination, attitudinal change
Civil society organizations: Commitment for facilitation and
coordination
Generating knowledge through research and development
Introducing indigenized approach to MLE
Sharing information for change in education
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Thank You
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