Tribals hit the road for language

Statesman News Service

MALDA, Feb. 21. — Some tribals today organised a roadblock in Malda demanding official status to their language, Alchiki. Adivasi Socio-Educational & Cultural Association (ASECA) and some other organisations held the roadblock alleging that demands for introducing Alchiki in schools, had gone unnoticed. “Due to state government’s dilly-dallying approach, our children are being deprived of their right to learn mother tongue,” said Mr D Hansda, secretary of ASECA. In 2003, the primary education council had decided to introduce Alchiki at primary schools of the tribal belts. The decision was the result of findings that language barrier led to high dropout rates in schools. For most Santhals, the medium of instruction in schools, Bengali, remained an unfamiliar language. In Malda, there are four main blocks dominated by the tribals — Old Malda, Gajole, Bamangola and Habibpur and there are 561 primary schools where tribal students are in majority.In the first phase, sixty-five schools had been targeted with over 60 per cent tribal students. As much as 175 tribal teachers have also been trained for implementing the policy.