Mother tongue is the foundation of all other languages and the identity of all human beings, said Odisha Adivasi Manch State convener Ido Mandal, speaking on the occasion of International Mother language Day.
The Manch and the Campaign on Mother Tongue based Early Childhood Education organised an awareness meeting here on the day to highlight the need of mother tongue based multi-lingual early childhood education for 1.4 million tribal children in the State.
The guests launched a short documentary “STEP BY STEP” which showcased the urgent need of reform in ICDS services being provided in Anganwadi centres of tribal areas with focus to mother tongue based multi lingual education.
While mother tongue-based bilingual programmes during early childhood use child’s first language, allowing the learner adequate scope of understanding in their home-based language, it also creates understanding and participation in the classroom setting. later on this becomes a platform for learners to gradually transfer skills from the familiar language to the unfamiliar one, the speakers told.
The third largest concentrations of tribal population in India live in Odisha. Of the 8 million tribal people in the State, 1.4 million are children between 0-6 years of age. Among this population, literacy rate is are 37 per cent compared to 63 per cent for the State (65 per cent for the country) and primary school drop-out rate is 20 per centage points higher than the State average, they said.
Senior BJP leader Biswa Bhusan Harichandan, senior Congress leader Prasad Harichandan, communist leaders, Janardan Pati and Ali Patnaik Sports and Youth Service Minister Ramesh Majhi and Manch convenor Ido Mandal joined as guests. The event was also attended by 500 tribal leaders from 20 districts of the State.