Language Problem in Educating Indigenous Children of Chittagong Hill Tracts in Bangladesh
Subarna Selim
Citation :Subarna Selim, Language Problem in Educating Indigenous Children of Chittagong Hill Tracts in Bangladesh International Journal of Humanities Social Sciences and Education 2017,4(6) : 31-36
Learning of Multilanguage through mother tongue is the most effective way for children to learn as it bridges the gap between mother tongue and other languages. A Lingua Franca or a single language of wider communication cannot be a substitute for the mother-tongue, and it should be avoided until the child fully acquires their mother-tongue (UNESCO,1953, p-11). Many educators and researchers identified the important necessary conditions for effective learning; such as: prior knowledge and understanding, integration of factual knowledge with conceptual frameworks, encouragement of profound understanding and giving students an active role in their learning process. A student's experiences and uniqueness are housed in their mother tongue, and thus mother tongue is a fundamental part of the prior knowledge necessary for students to move forward with their education. Many studies have demonstrated that use of students' first language in education has greater impacts not only on individual students but society as whole, as it: (a) increases access and equity, (b) improves learning outcomes, (c) reduces repetition and dropout rates. (Bender, 2005). In Bangladesh, although indigenous people hesitate in many parts of the country, Chittanong hill Tracts are haves of largest indigenous people in CHT include Chakma, Marma, Tripura etc. Children of these areas mostly communicate with one another in their own mother tongues. Indigenous people in Bangladesh are lagging behind the main stream Bangali speaking population in education, health and therefore in economic and social status. Mother language is important in identity and learning for tribal students, and needs to be encouraged and valued both in policy and practice for the educational achievement of tribal language students to improve. By making their learning activity based syllabus in Bengali and English including their native language tribal students can play a vital role in communication and development of the country.