Mohanty - United Nations University

27 Pages·2008·2.33 MB·English

by  Ajit K Mohanty

AJIT K MOHANTY
JAWAHARLAL NEHRU UNIVERSITY
(cid:131) POVERTY AS CAPABILITY DEPRIVATION
(cid:131) INDIAN MULTILINGUALISM & THE CYCLE OF 
DISADVANTAGE
(cid:131) LANGUAGES IN INDIAN EDUCATION
(cid:131) TRIBES IN INDIA: LANGUAGE, EDUCATION & POVERTY
(cid:131) MULTILINGUAL EDUCATION FOR THE TRIBAL 
CHILDREN: STATUS, INITIATIVES & PROSPECTS
(cid:131) SOME CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS
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Capability = Range of Options & Choices
(cid:131)
Social discrimination → lack of 
(cid:131)
opportunities → lack of freedom →
capability deprivation → poverty
Enabling role of education for economic 
(cid:131)
development
The problem of ‘voicelessness’ & language 
(cid:131)
disadvantage with educational barriers for 
the Tribes (indigenous peoples) in India
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(cid:131)3372 MOTHER TONGUES (1576 listed,
1796 as ‘other’ languages)
(cid:131)300 – 400 LANGUAGES
(cid:131)22+1 OFFICIAL LANGUAGES
(cid:131)87 LANGUAGES OF PRINT MEDIA
(cid:131)104 FOR RADIO BROADCASTING
(cid:131)81/41 IN PRIMARY EDUCATION
(1970/98)
(cid:131)MINORITY LINGUISTIC GROUPS>20%
in half of the Districts
Relationship between Language, Power & Hierarchy:
“Multilingualism of the Unequals” (Mohanty,2004)
4
INDIGENOUS/MINORITY
LANGUAGES 
JUSTIFICATION
OF
EDUCATIONAL
FURTHER 
&
THE VICIOUS CYCLE
NEGLECT
SOCIAL
NEGLECT
WEAKENING OF
LANGUAGES
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Tokyo Aug.27‐28,08
90
(cid:131) Declining number of 
80 Language
languages/media in schools 
media (cid:131) MT education for tribal 
70
(indigenous) children <  1%
60
(cid:131) English Medium schools ‐
Indian Language(s) taught as 
50
subject(s)
40 (cid:131) Regional language medium 
schools – English as 
30
compulsory second language 
20 by grade 4
(cid:131) Hindi NOT taught as a 
10
compulsory subject in most 
0 states or taught as a third 
1970 1976 1978 1990 1998 language from grade 5
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Tokyo Aug.27‐28,08 6
Illiteracy & relapse to illiteracy
(cid:190)
Poor educational performance
(cid:190)
Subtractive language learning in 
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forced submersion programs
High ‘push‐out’ rate
(cid:190)
Capability deprivation & Poverty
(cid:190)
Loss of diversity
(cid:190)
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Tribal population: 84.3 million(8.2%) 
(cid:131)
[ST:16.23%]
623 Tribal Communities (ASI); 573 notified 
(cid:131)
or Scheduled Tribes
218 languages (159 excusive to the tribes)
(cid:131)
Most tribal language do not have a script; 
(cid:131)
written in major regional language scripts
Wide spread adult bilingualism (500 of 623 
(cid:131)
communities classified as bilingual)
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13 tribal languages used in various 
(cid:131)
programs (12 in NE States only)
Only 3 to 4 used as MI in regular school 
(cid:131)
programs
Less than 1% STs have scope for MT 
(cid:131)
medium schooling 
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Tokyo Aug.27‐28,08 9
High proportion of STs in Primary Schools 
(cid:131)
(Grades I to V)
58,343 schools – above 90%
(cid:131)
76,458 schools – above 75%
(cid:131)
103,609 schools – above 50%
(cid:131)
Tribal children taught in forced submersion 
(cid:131)
programs in L (majority language) medium 
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