Multilingual Education and India

Odisha is often ahead of the game in comparison with other states when it comes to Multilingual Education. That is no surprise, given the heavy investment in that state by people like Prof D. P. Pattanayak, Prof Ajit Mohanty, and Dr Mahendra Mishra! It is good to note that, in the latest initiative, attention is given not only  to the language , but also to the relevance of the content for the children. The New Indian Express reports that tribal children in Odisha will be taught their indigenous knowledge systems such as their indigenous rituals, cropping methods, and much more along with their mother tongue. The multilingual approach will include their indigenous language along with the state language, Odia. These two initiatives come from the  Scheduled Caste & Scheduled Tribe  Development, Minorities and Backward Classes Welfare department under the guidance of the National Education Policy (NEP)-2020 .  P. Patel from the  Academy of Tribal Languages and Culture (ATLC)

World Book Day gives us a nice excuse to promote the production of books in the local languages. Particularly since this year there was a special emphasis on indigenous languages! In line with the theme of the International Decade of Indigenous Languages (2022-32), f or this year, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has chosen the theme  “Indigenous Languages”! According to their official statement , “Indigenous and local languages feature as part of the World Book Capital Network Charter, and the Charter recognizes a less rigid concept of ‘the book'; it also acknowledges all  forms of literature (including oral traditions).” The statement also mentions that, “ Of the almost 7,000 existing languages – many of which are fast disappearing – the majority are spoken by indigenous peoples who represent the greater part of the world's cultural diversity.” Therefore, they are stressing the importance of safeguarding these languages, the moth

It is always good when research affirms what we have already observed ourselves: it is beneficial for learners when multiple languages are used in the classroom, particularly if the teaching isn’t in the students’ home language. Macmillan Education India is a key stakeholder in the Indian education arena as they regularly produce resources in both print and digital form in addition to engaging in assessments and  teacher training. In February, they presented the results of a survey they did to understand the effects of multilingualism in the classroom. (See full report. ) Managing Director, Rajesh Pasari, writes in the foreword:  “ Through this study, we wanted to find out more about this linguistic phenomenon in relation to English classrooms. The study analysed the potential advantages and challenges of linguistic diversity which can impact the everyday lives of Indian learners in educational institutions. The report documents the multilingual reality and various teaching practices i

  Photo credit: https://asiapacificmle.net/conference/2023/   The Multilingual Education Conference in Thailand has always been a great place to meet with fellow-educationalists with a passion (or at least interest!) for Multilingual Education. Because of Covid it was a bit delayed, but I was glad to learn there will be one this year in October. I hope there will be many presentations from India. There are only a few weeks left to get abstracts submitted.  See the announcement copied below. _________________________________________________________________________________ The Asia Pacific Multilingual Education Working Group (MLE WG) is pleased to announce the 7th International Conference on Language and Education to be held in Bangkok, Thailand, this 4 - 6 October 2023, and the first Call for Abstracts . The seventh edition will address multilingual education for transformative education systems and resilient futures. UNESCO Asia and Pacific Regional Bureau for Education, UNICEF East