Authored by AIF Fellow Joseph Pollack
Last week, the tap water stopped running in my apartment. I didn’t know what was wrong, so I prepared to ask my neighbors a question. I had to prepare, because with only one week of language classes even a simple sentence required creative use of my minuscule vocabulary. I repeated the words under my breath as I walked to their door and reached for the doorbell.
*Ding!*
Twenty minutes later, I was on the roof of my building learning how to unlock the pump and refill my water tank. I understood maybe one in ten words, but luckily I’m a visual learner. As I waited for the tank to fill, I walked to the edge of the building and found a clear view across the city. I glanced over the homes of 100,000 people spreading across the landscape, but my eyes locked on the mountains lying in the distance like dark green walls holding in the horizon.
The first time I visited these mountains was on a trip to the village of Molgi. Here, my colleagues and I met with community members to discuss our work and learn about their local language and culture. Communication for me was a multistep process. I introduced myself in English and one of my colleagues translated to the state language of Marathi. Then the Marathi translation was once again translated into the local language of Bhilori.
I listened attentively as the community members shared stories of their foods, religion, and celebrations. A group of women sang a harvest song. At least, that is how it was explained later, by one of my colleagues summarizing the main ideas. While it was a joy to meet the friendly people of Molgi, I couldn’t help but feel frustrated by the convoluted process. How much nuance was lost between two layers of translation?
My colleague Pratik leads a conversation with some community members of Molgi. In a mix of Marathi and Bhilori, people describe local culture. Photo Courtesy of: Pratik Durge
In many ways, I am struggling with the same challenges faced by so many children in Nandurbar District. Here, 85% of the population lives in rural areas, and almost 70% are members of Scheduled Tribes. The district is home to six main tribal languages — Ahirani, Bhili, Bhilori, Mathwadi, Mawchi, and Pawri — each with its own linguistic and cultural heritage. The vast majority of people in Nandurbar call one of these local languages a mother tongue.
Nandurbar is the northernmost district in the state of Maharashtra, 360 kilometers from Mumbai, its capital city. The official state language is Marathi, and all government schools in the state use this as the primary language of instruction. In art, math, history, music, science – all subjects – instructional materials are produced in Marathi. Even the teachers only speak in Marathi, as educators often come from outside the local community.
In Nandurbar, less than 10% of children speak Marathi as their primary language at home, so when they begin schooling how can they learn?
Oftentimes, these kids do not learn. They cannot understand their teachers and this leads to frustration and apathy towards the school. This linguistic divide is a significant reason why children in rural regions have poorer attendance, higher dropout rates, lower literacy rates, and overall lower educational attainment compared to the national average.
The view from the road to Molgi. Photo Courtesy of: Author
At the Learning and Migration Program (LAMP) office in Nandurbar, my colleagues have spent the last two years developing multilingual materials and training teachers on their use. A team of young, local women worked to create six dictionaries and a variety of picture books written in local languages and the Marathi translation. The stories were selected from common tales tribal families tell their children and local artists were selected for illustration. In this way both language and culture are brought into the classroom. Teachers too learn from these materials and can better communicate with their students.
Tribal communities are not always immediately interested in this work, however. Across India, there are over 1,600 spoken languages, so many people see language barriers as simply a part of life – only natural. That’s why this project has invested in community outreach, engaging parents and local leaders and underscoring the importance of formalizing multilingual education in the classroom.
The significance of this work goes beyond childhood literacy. Many local languages are only oral with no standardized written form. In creating dictionaries and books, encouraging children to read and write in their mother tongue, this work serves to preserve the language for future generations. Encouraging the use of local languages in formal education is crucial for the quality of education, the confidence of students, and the health of the community.
A study of tribal communities in Canada determined that increased knowledge of tribal language correlated with lower rates of youth suicide in the community. Language is culture.
A student enjoys one of the dual-language books created for this project. Photo Courtesy of: American India Foundation Instagram
Language is certainly not the only barrier to academic attainment in Nandurbar. Its mountainous geography makes many areas remote and difficult to access, creating unique challenges for education and resource delivery. But the simple inclusion of multilingual resources led to clear positive change over the course of a single year – better attendance, lower dropout rates, higher literacy rates.
The impact on these schools was profound. Critically, the confidence of students soared, and quiet classrooms became places of animated learning. While many challenges remain, multilingual materials provide one powerful tool to climb the educational hurdles these students face.
Sources:
Census of India. Census of India 2011: Data from the 2011 Census. Government of India, 2011, www.censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/812.
Chattopadhyay, Aparajita, and Vijaya Durdhawale. “Primary schooling in a tribal district of Maharashtra: Some policy relevance.” Journal of Education Administration and Policy Studies 1.5 (2009): 70-78.
Hallett, Darcy, Michael J. Chandler, and Christopher E. Lalonde. “Aboriginal language knowledge and youth suicide.” Cognitive development 22.3 (2007): 392-399.
Nandurbar District Administration. District Profile of Nandurbar. Government of Maharashtra, www.nandurbar.gov.in/district-profile-info/.