The importance of one’s mother-tongue in primary education: Suitable teaching methods and textbooks

Imagine yourself as a child attending school only to realize that you cannot understand anything said by your teachers (and vice-versa) … Yet this has long been the unenviable situation faced by “tribal” children all over the world including India, a country whose constitution protects the right of children to learn through their mother tongue: Across the region, … Read more

Inculcating pride for their mother tongue in Madia children: Language is more than a medium of communication – Maharashtra

Samiksha Godse-Amte, The Hindu, April 3, 2013 | Read the full article here >> When an ‘apple’ was shown in a kindergarten class and asked what it was, the question was greeted with silence as the children had never seen one before. But when they were shown a mahua flower; they all came up with … Read more

On protecting one’s unique culture and tradition while gaining access to education and “modern civilization”: Dambaru Sisha, the first MLA from the reclusive Bonda community – Odisha

Priya Ranjan Sahu, Hindustan Times  Bhubaneswar, May 23, 2014 The Bondas, one of India’s most primitive tribes living in the remote hills of Odisha’s Malkangiri district, turned a new leaf on Friday. Dambaru Sisha, 34, took the oath of office as the first MLA from the reclusive tribes that remained untouched by civilization for centuries. … Read more

What it means to be part of the “India Unheard” network – Video Volunteers

Gunjan Singh is a community correspondence for India Unheard. She is from Varanasi. According her India Unheard will be a network of community reporters and here we will discuss different issue and also suggest measures. Source: ▶ Gunjan Singh’s Profile – YouTubeAddress : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdpBY2U66joDate Visited: Thu Nov 06 2014 09:44:15 GMT+0100 (CET) Photo: courtesy videovolunteers.org A … Read more

Let indigenous people decide their own future and that of their environment: Ramon Magsaysay Award 2014 for Butet Manurung – Indonesia

Manasi Mathkar, The Hindu, Sunday Magazine, September 20, 2014 | To read the full interview, click here >> Butet Manurung, winner of the Ramon Magsaysay Award 2014, talks about her work with Indonesia’s indigenous tribes and why she chose to start a school in the jungle. Saur Marlina Manurung, better known as Butet Manurung, is an … Read more