Moving from Bilingual to Multilingual Education

61 Pages·2014·32.55 MB·English

by  Grad Student

Moving
 from
 Bilingual
 to

Multilingual
 Education:

Insights
 from

Linguistically
 Diverse
 Societies

Ajit Mohanty
National Multilingual Education Resource Consortium
Jawaharlal
 Nehru
 University

27
 Oct
 2014
  MOHANTY_U
 of
 Calgary
  1
From
 BE
 to
 MLE:

Movement
 beyond
 dominant

v 

monolingual
 societies
 to
 complex

multilingual
 ones

MLE
 as
 a
 global
 movement

v 
MLE
 broadly
 guided
 by
 theory
 &

v 
principles
 of
 BE

Problems
 in
 uncritical

v 

appropriation
 of
 BE
 model
 in
 MLE

27
 Oct
 2014
  MOHANTY_U
 of
 Calgary
  2
Moving
 from
 BE
 to
 MLE:
 Some
 Issues
 in

Conceptual
 Appropriation

Uses & abuses of concepts (e.g. immersion’,
v 

‘balance’, BICS & CALP)
Languages as solitudes vs. multilinguality
v 
Linguistic Interdependence & Cross-
v 
linguistic transfer (Multilingual oral
traditions & movement between languages) &
Early development of metalinguistic and cross-
linguistic awareness & Early emergence of
CALP-like proficiency
27
 Oct
 2014
  MOHANTY_U
 of
 Calgary
  3
Why
 was
 MLE
 necessary?

The post-colonial hangover in the multilingual
¡ 
world: Imposed homogenization of the nation
states and the identity aspirations of the
communities in Africa and Asia
The dominance of the Colonial Languages:
¡ 
Linguistic Imperialism & the “Killer Languages”
Education of the marginalized: the God that
¡ 
Failed: Huge wastage in the system of education
The compulsions of new democracies
¡ 
27
 Oct
 2014
  MOHANTY_U
 of
 Calgary
  4
Hesitant
 Beginnings
 &
 Shifting
 Paradigms

in
 Minority
 Education:
 India
 &
 Nepal

Bilingual Transfer Models & Mother Tongue based
¡ 
Textbooks (1980 – 2001)
International Initiatives and the Fortuitous beginning of
¡ 
MLE (2004)
Early Experimental Programs in two Indian states (2005
¡ 
– 2007): Compromises with theory & lapses in practice
Experimental MLE program in post-monarchy Nepal
¡ 
New policy Initiatives in India: NCF, 2005, RTE, 2009
¡ 
Nepal’s MLE Policy 2009 (Skutnabb-Kangas & Mohanty)
¡ 
& the new constitutional initiatives
MLE Policy in Odisha (2014), India
¡
§ 3372 MOTHER TONGUES (1576 listed,
1796 as ‘other’ languages)
§ 300 – 400 LANGUAGES (PLSI: 780)
§ 22+1 OFFICIAL LANGUAGES
§ 87 LANGUAGES OF PRINT MEDIA
§ 104 FOR RADIO BROADCASTING
§ 81/41 IN PRIMARY EDUCATION
(1970/98)
§ MINORITY LINGUISTIC GROUPS>20%
in half of the Districts
Language, Power & Hierarchy: ‘Multilingualism of the
Unequals’ ‘Linguistic Double Divide’

(Mohanty, 2004, 2010,)
MULTILINGUALISM:
 THE
 DOUBLE-­‐DIVIDE

• Dominant
DOMINANT
Language-
LANGUAGES
Vernacular
Divide
• Vernacular-
MAJOR STATE
LANGUAGES Minority (Other)
Language
Divide
MINORITY

LANGUAGES
Mohanty (2010), IJSL.
INDIGENOUS/MINORITY

LANGUAGES

 JUSTIFICATION

OF

 EDUCATIONAL

FURTHER

&

THE
 VICIOUS
 CYCLE

NEGLECT

SOCIAL

NEGLECT

WEAKENING
 OF

LANGUAGES
¡  Declining
 number
 of

languages/media
 in
 schools

¡  MT
 education
 for
 tribal

(indigenous)
 children
 <

 1%

¡  English
 Medium
 schools
 -­‐

Indian
 Language(s)
 taught
 as

subject(s)

¡  Regional
 language
 medium

schools
 –
 English
 as

compulsory
 second
 language

by
 grade
 4

¡  Hindi
 NOT
 taught
 as
 a

compulsory
 subject
 in
 most

states
 or
 taught
 as
 a
 third

language
 from
 grade
 5
Tribal
 Popula,on
 &
 Tribal
 languages
 in
 India
•  Tribal
 popula,on:
 84.3
 million(8.2%)

•  623
 Tribal
 Communi,es
 (ASI);
 573

no,fied
 or
 Scheduled
 Tribes

•  218
 languages
 (159
 excusive
 to
 the

tribes)

•  Most
 tribal
 language
 do
 not
 have
 a

script;
 wriOen
 in
 major
 regional

language
 scripts