Part of: GS Prelims and Mains II – Education reforms; Govt policies and initiatives
About:
The new National Education Policy lays emphasis on mother tongue-based instructions up to Class 5.
Tribal communities and Odisha state will be at advantage if above provision is implemented effectively.
Although it is easy to prescribe local language as medium of instructions up to Class 5, it is very difficult to implement it.
Unique position
Odisha occupies a unique position in the tribal map of India.
Odisha has most diverse tribal communities. It is home to 62 different tribal communities including 13 particularly vulnerable tribal groups (PVTGs).
Tribes in Odisha speak around 21 languages and 74 dialects.
Do you know?
Odisha has been working on multilingual education (MLE) for more than past two decades.
Academy of Tribal Language and Culture in collaborate with Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Research and Training Institute (SCSTRTI) is probably the only institute in entire country which has prepared supplementary readers in 21 tribal languages for Class 1 to 3.
Santhali, a tribal language, has been included in Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.
