“Medium of instruction shall, as far as practicable, be in child’s mother tongue.” – The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009 quoted in “Primary Education of Tribal Children” by Press Information Bureau, Government of India (Ministry of Tribal Affairs, 9 December 2019)
https://pib.gov.in/Pressreleaseshare.aspx?PRID=1595502
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=16476
“[I]t is some of the basic values and ideology imbibed in the traditional tribal socio-cultural milieus that should have been emulated and promoted amongst the non-tribal mainstream, not, as has been going on, the other way round.” – Arup Maharatna (Professor, Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics, Pune), in Who Is Civilised?’: In Praise of Tribal … Read more
Source: Bhasa Sikshaks who teach tribal children in Odisha innovatively by Natasha Badhwar, The Hindu (Magazine), 23 April 2016Address: https://www.thehindu.com/features/magazine/natasha-badhwar-on-bhasa-sikshaks-who-teach-tribal-children-in-odisha-innovatively/article8508587.eceDate Visited: 9 August 2020 To be taught in a language other than one’s own has a negative effect on learning. [Starting a child’s education in the mother tongue] allows teachers and students to interact naturally and … Read more
[…] “Santhal children are compelled to leave behind the culture they grew up in , whenever they go in for modern education and learning the rudiments of the three r’s. It results in their loss of confidence, and utter confusion as regards their identity. We felt it was important that they studied in the Santhali … Read more
An educational package for pre-primary children of the Kadar tribe incorporating their own language [has been] distributed in 22 anganwadis [in July 2012]. Dr. Amitha Bachan, the man behind the project says that it will help initiate the children into formal education easily They are not like any other children. These kids of the primitive … Read more
Beyond stereotypes | Read the full story >> […] It took some time for [Nagaland-based artist Canato Jimo] to realise that diversity didn’t necessarily mean something that is steeped in cultural symbolism. “I started out by doing the obvious thing — looking at culture-specific stories like folk tales and festivals that were celebrated in Nagaland,” … Read more