Book launching ceremony for multi language education material in Garo language

The Cultural and Development Society (CDS) organized a book launching ceremony of Pre Primary Education Text Books in Garo Indigenous Language with the support of ILO on 26 June 2012 at The National Press Club in Dhaka. Around 80 participants from government, NGOs, indigenous leaders and experts on multi lingual education came together to discuss policies and strategies to put focus on the issue of multi lingual education in Bangladesh and the importance that children get the opportunity to be taught in their mother tongue.

The book launching ceremony was attended by Minister for Primary Education Dr Afsarul Amin MP as Chief Guest while State Minister for Cultural Affairs Mr Promod Mankin MP, Secretary of MoCHTA Mr NBK Tripura and Deputy Country Director of ILO Mr Gagan Rajbhandari were present as Special Guests.

In his speech Dr Afsarul Amin emphasized the need of mother tongue in the pre-primary level education to reduce the rate of drop out from pre-primary school. He also mentioned that mother tongue education in primary level will help students to understand the curriculum and highlighted the importance of learning Bangla and English at primary level.

Experts on multi lingual education discussed the two text books and opined that books will provide important guide lines for the Government’s ongoing initiative to include indigenous peoples’ lives and culture in the national curriculum. The Minister of Primary Education reiterated the governments’ commitment to ensure education in mother tongue for indigenous children.