Language and Learning: MLE Initiatives in Nepal

1. Language and Learning: MLE Initiatives in Nepal Nordic Conference Denmark June 2012 Lava Deo Awasthi, PhD Email: lava.awasthi@gmail.com

2. 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

3. 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)

4. Initiatives Taken for a New Language Order in Nepal • 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

5. Initiatives Taken… 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)

6. 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’ Gurukulhabitus • Inadequate systemic support • Influence of English and globalization

7. How to Change? • From problem orientations to resource orientations • Enabling environment for resource convertibility • 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

8. The Way Forward: Moving Towards Actions • 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

9. Thank You