Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh - Participation by minorities in development efforts is essential for dispersing the fruits of development to all segments of society equally. But a culture of minority participation in the national development effort is not often found in Bangladesh and important segments of society are left without the tools to participate. However local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are working to fill this gap. Bangladesh is a predominantly Muslim country with the fourth largest concentration of Muslims in the world. Other religious, linguistic and cultural groups in the country - Buddhists, Hindus, Christians and animists - constitute 10 percent of the total population. Established as a parliamentary democracy, reflective of the country s religious diversity and pluralist character, Islam was made the state religion in 1988 and the present government has been operating in a state of emergency since January 2007. The people of Bangladesh are not as homogenous as many assume, and most ethnic minorities are incidentally trapped in social underdevelopment. Though education has been recognized as a universal and fundamental human right, quality education continues to elude indigenous learners in the Chittagong Hill Tract (CHT) region of Bangladesh. Inadequate educational resources coupled with high drop-out rates - with almost 20 percent of drop-outs attributed to linguistic obstacles - create an environment where inhabitants are neither benefiting from development efforts, nor are they equipped to participate in them. The CHT region, located in the southeast corner of Bangladesh has an area of 5,092 square miles and is home to 11 ethnic minorities who differ from the population in the neighboring plains not only in terms of geographical setting but also in ethnicity, socio-economic status, language, culture, religion, lifestyle, customs and tradition. Chakma is the largest indigenous ethnic group in the CHT, and the predominant language spoken, followed by Marma, which is spoken in the southern part of the region in addition to local languages. However, primary school children in the CHT are required to take classes in Bengali - the state language. This linguistic barrier makes it difficult for them to understand textbooks or follow their teachers lessons. School becomes boring for them and eventually they start to lose interest in learning. Linguistic challenges in elementary school naturally impact higher education. Problems in understanding the language at this early stage result in weak learning, whereas curriculum becomes easier for students to understand when education is offered in a child s mother tongue. This helps unlock a child s intuition, power of thought and imagination. Although the 40th session of the International Labor Organization in 1957 adopted a resolution (Article 23(1) of Convention 107) that clearly provides for indigenous children s education in their respective mother tongues, little has been done by the government to implement this. Moreover, Article 33 (kha) of the CHT Accord signed by the Bangladesh government and Parbartty Chttagram Jana Sanghati Samity (PCJSS), a regional political party that spearheaded the movement for indigenous rights, also provides for primary education in indigenous languages. And Article 17 of the Bangladesh constitution stipulates that all children should receive an education that is compatible with the needs of the society - indicating that there is no legal barrier to providing education in regional languages. In the absence of government assistance, a few NGOs have launched an initiative to teach Chakma, Marma and Tripura children in their respective languages at the pre-school stage in a few schools in and outside the municipality area. This struggling initiative will likely only succeed with support from the national government and would benefit from assistance from international donors. However, if successful, this initiative could prove a model for other countries with linguistically diverse populations that suffer from development challenges in multiethnic, multicultural societies. Tuli Dewanis a program manager for Green Hill (www.greenhill-cht.org), a non-governmental organization in the Chittagong Hill Tract region of Bangladesh. This article was written for the Common Ground News Service (CGNews) and can be accessed at www.commongroundnews.org.
