Issues in

Issues ininin

Medium of Instruction-Rebat Kumar Dhakal

28 Sept. 2010Kathmandu University

• Medium of instruction as an issue• Medium of instruction as an issue

• Arguments for MT

• Arguments for national / international languagelanguage

• How it has been addressed (SSRP)

Language is contentious, and the debate between national languages and mother tongues more so MARK TURINlanguages and mother tongues more so. - MARK TURIN

☯ Should local language or official language or internationalAs an issue

☯ Should local language or official language or international language be the medium of instruction (MOI)?

.

☯ Should we use language as a subject of study or an MOI?.

☯What is the appropriate level to shift from MT- NL-IL?.

☯When and for how long should the MT be used as an MOI d h bj ?and taught as a subject?

.

☯When and how should English be introduced as a subject and as an MOI?and as an MOI?

☯What about the right of ethnic minorities to have primary☯What about the right of ethnic minorities to have primary education in their own mother tongue?

.

☯ Sh ld it b th th t f th j it f t d t☯ Should it be the mother tongue of the majority of students whereby it would not be fair to some of the students whose mother tongue is different; or should it be gNepali the lingua franca and the national language; or should it be English?

] ]]@)^% ;fnsf] P]]g िशक्षा tyf v]n]ns''b ;DaGwL s]]xL g]]kfn P]]g ;++zf]]wg ug{ ag]sf] P]g-^_ bkmf & sf] pkbkmf -@_ sf] v08 -s_ sf] ;6\6f b]xfosf] v08 -s_ /flvPsf] 5M æcfwf/et tx;Ddsf] िशक्षा dft efiffdf lbg ;lsg]5 . (k]h #)

A trilingual model for Nepali primary education: 1. Mother tongue

/flvPsf 5M æcfwf/e"t tx;Ddsf िशक्षा dft[ efiffdf lbg ;lsg5 . (kh #)

2. Nepali as the national or second language of education3. English as the international language.

Why Mother Tongue ?

It promotes access, equity, self-esteem, faster acquisition of basic literacy and contributes to higher academic achievement (CDC 2005 11)higher academic achievement. (CDC. 2005, p.11)

There are significant human and linguistic resources in the regions that can be built uponresources in the regions that can be built upon to support mother tongue as MOI throughout primary schooling and teacher training.primary schooling and teacher training.

Why International Language ?Why International Language ?

C MT d t d t d t t i thCan MT educated students compete in the global market?

Can MT education be equivalent to International language education? g g<coverage, competitiveness and ………>

Chapter 2 Early Childhood Education and DevelopmentSSRP

Chapter 2 Early Childhood Education and Development

With a view to promoting a child friendlyWith a view to promoting a child friendly environment in ECED centre and to ensure children’s rights to learn in their own motherchildren s rights to learn in their own mother tongue, children’s mother tongue will be employed as the medium of instruction.

ECED facilitators will be recruited locally. ( 9)(p.9)

Chapter 3 Basic and Secondary EducationSSRP

Chapter 3 Basic and Secondary Education

Basic education Policy direction < Quality and relevance (p. 13)>

Introducing mother tongue as a medium of instruction Key results (p 14)Key results (p.14)

95 learning facilitation materials produced in different languagesMultilingual education implemented in 7,500 schools

Secondary educationPolicy direction < Quality and relevance (p. 22 )>

Adopting the NCF as the basis for core curricula and local curricula.

Chapter 4 Literacy and Lifelong LearningSSRP

Chapter 4 Literacy and Lifelong Learning

( )Implementation arrangement <Delivery mechanism (p. 31)>Mother tongue medium literacy programmes will be emphasizedwill be emphasized.

Implementation matrix<Activity (what?) (p. 32)> Introduce and expand mother tongue literacy courses in local languages.

SSRP

Anne 3 2 Q alit Ed cation

Instructional provisions<Medium of instruction (p.81)>

Annex 3-2: Quality Education

Children’s right to basic education through mother tongue will be guaranteed in at least the first three grades.

The choice of MOI in school will be determined by the SMC in consultation with the local government.

English will be taught as a subject from grade one onwardsEnglish will be taught as a subject from grade one onwards.The MOI in Gumbas/Vihars, Madrasas and Gurukuls will be

determined by their respective management in consultatoin with the DEO.

SSRP

Anne 3 2 Instr ctional pro isions

To ensure that children learn in their MT at least in the

Annex 3-2: Instructional provisions

To ensure that children learn in their MT at least in the early grades up to three, SMC can determine the language(s) of instruction in consultation with the local body Grades four and five can follow alocal body. Grades four and five can follow atransition from the mother tongue MOI to Nepali.

From grade six to eight, the MOI can be fully in Nepali. g g , y pEnglish will be taught as a subject from grade one

onwards. (p. 82)

NCF

• Provision of mother tongues as a medium of instruction and• Provision of mother tongues as a medium of instruction and learning from grade 1 to 5 and language transition at grade 6. (p. 42)

C i l ill i t it t l i th l i• Curriculum will give opportunity to learn in mother language in early grades in line with the child-development approach to learning, the language of instruction will be the Mother g g gtongue in early grades i.e. Pre-primary to grade 5. There will be provision for language transition from the mother tongue to Nepali and/or English from grade 4 (p 22)tongue to Nepali and/or English from grade 4. (p. 22)

Indigenous languages as medium of education only in a few cases:g g g y

• Newari (one school in the Kathmandu valley),• Some of the Kirati languages, namely Bantawa,• Limbu (formal education) andLimbu (formal education), and • Khaling (adult literacy, non-formal education).

• Textbooks in a number of languages of Nepal have been produced but they f th t t t di t ib t d d t th l k f t hare for the most part not distributed due to the lack of teachers.

• Because of the continued use of Nepali as the medium of instruction, there is a high dropout rate in village schools. ( Toba & Rai, 2005, p. 19)g g

4 M d l f Ed ti

• The assimilation model: Starting in the mother tongue, and continuing to

4 Models of Education

The assimilation model: Starting in the mother tongue, and continuing to national language immersion

• The pluralistic model: Recognises the importance of the language spoken at home; thus, first language teaching is not restricted only p ; , g g g yto the early grades

• The immersion model: Initial instruction is given in the national language with oral discussion and instruction permitted in the local languagep g g

• The national language model: Sole instruction in the national language, with no teaching in the mother tongue

(UNESCO Bankok 2007 p 63)(UNESCO, Bankok 2007,p. 63)

• Practical only in homogenous communitiesChallenges for Implementing MT as MOI

• Practical only in homogenous communities. • No teacher recruitment and training modalities have been

developed yet. (CDC, 2005, p.12)• As a result of external funding, the Text Book Production Centre

has prepared some basic elementary readers in nine different ethnic languages, but it is hard to ascertain todifferent ethnic languages, but it is hard to ascertain to what extent these primers are in use.

• Current political unrest makes it difficult to implement changes in local contexts (Advocacy Kit p 6)in local contexts. (Advocacy Kit, p.6)

ReferencesReferencesAdvocacy kit for promoting multilingual education: Including the excluded. Language in

Ed ti P li d P ti i A i d th P ifi R t i d fEducation Policy and Practice in Asia and the Pacific. Retrieved from http://www2.unescobkk.org/elib/publications/110/Booklet%202%20-%20Language%20and%20Education%20Policies.pdf

CDC. 2005. National curriculum framework for school education (pre-primary-12) in Nepal. (p p y ) pBhaktapur: Author.

Toba, S.I. & Rai, N.K. (2005). Diversity and endangerment of languages in Nepal. UNESCO Kathmandu Series of Monographs and Working Papers, 7. Kathmandu: UNESCO.

UNESCO. 2005. First language first: Community-based literacy programmes forminority language contexts in Asia. Bangkok. Retrieved from http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0014/001402/140280e.pdf

2065 salko ain Retrieved from http://planipolis iiep unesco org/upload/Nepal/2065 salko ain. Retrieved from http://planipolis.iiep.unesco.org/upload/Nepal/ Nepal_%20Education_law_2065_Draft.pdf

Unceasing DebateUnceasing Debate

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