Multi-lingual Education Empowers Indigenous Communities in ...€¦ · Multi-lingual Education...
Transcript of Multi-lingual Education Empowers Indigenous Communities in ...€¦ · Multi-lingual Education...
Multi-lingual Education Empowers Indigenous Communities
in the Cambodian Highlands
Presentation by Anne Thomas
NTFP, Ratanakiri, Cambodia
Outline
Background
Kavet Case Study
• Overview 1996-
to present
Local Language Development Initiatives
Challenges & Opportunities
Progress
Lessons Learned
Background- Ratanakiri Province 1996
Literacy rate : 20% males
2% females
Unwritten languages-
(„backward‟, „primitive‟)
Ethnic Minority NGO staff-
few or none
Linguistic work Krung
language- trial alphabet
No bilingual literacy
materials-
First pilot in country
2 NGOs-
NTFP, ICC (World Concern)
Indigenous Population 85,000
Tampuan 25,000
Brao/Kavet/Krung 30,000
Ratanakiri
Cambodia
Background- Kavet- 1996
Widely scattered hamlets
Swidden groups- 5 families
Walked 4 days- last day found the
commune chief walked 4 days
Virachey National Park
NTFP- „Community Based Natural
Resources Management Project‟- Local
communities know best how to manage
their resources
Still war-torn (re-united 1998)
Background
Approach: Literacy Pilot• 2 NGOs work together
• Coordinate closely with Ministry of Education
all steps of materials development & approval
• Community-based, NFE approach
• Train local villagers to be teachers
• NFE approach- lessons relate to livelihood
• Design & Pilot 2 types of NFE materials-
local languages + Khmer materials
Background: Bilingual
Education Pilot Objectives Develop MT writing systems
& Bilingual NFE Curriculum
which have official government endorsement
Promote use of MT in development initiatives (livelihood, education, conflict resolution for land & natural resources)
Village Elder,
Community Forestry
Committee
Kavet Case Study
Community Survey & Action Research -
1996Literacy = Empowerment
Adults told their elders: „If we had been
literate, this would not have happened to us”
(losing our forest, losing our land, being at
the bottom of the pecking order)
Teacher training approach- every 2 months
for packet of lessons- stay ahead of students
Bilingual Literacy ProjectTeacher:
• Community-based
• Same language
Class:
• Flexible schedule
• Classroom provided
by community
Seasonal
agricultural
calendar
Maternal
nutrition
Evening study
hall
Functional
…so that EVERYONE can learn to
read and write…
Bilingual approach-
Kavet 2002 trial, re-launched 2007
Mother tongue bridging to national language
Kavet MLE 2007:
Very strong participation
of girls/women
(Khmer NFE was mostly males)
Kavet girls in advanced NFE literacy class (2005)
The next group of volunteer teachers (2006)
Kavet girl students become bilingual
teachers
Bilingual Classes full of girls, young
women
Kavet Case Study-2010
Six Kavet villages (population approx 2,000)
All leaders involved
Student profile:
• All ages, usually between age 9-30
•Dry season 550,
•Rainy season 450
•30-40% females
Highlights Kavet Bilingual Literacy : 2010
(Team leader Krung woman
Total- 2 Kavet Staff, 2 Krung)
Six Kavet villages:
Average 500 students, 30-40% females,
19 teaching locations, 38 volunteer teachers, 3
community libraries (new-started 2009)
Produced local stories, songs
24 community school board members
2009 and 2010: Survey & trainers for Steung
Treng Kavet bilingual project
Kavet staff
Planning NFEAnnual planning
for classes in
hamlets: com’ty
leaders, NFE
teachers
6 villages-19
hamlets
Annual Planning NFE
Local Monitor
Community meeting
Testing
Kavet Bilingual
Project Highlights
2010
Kavet Writer‟s workshop-
Reading their own stories in print
Results of Writer‟s workshop-
Community-Based Non-formal
Education: Best Practices
Orthography development
based on linguistic
research (5 languages )
Effective, pedagogically
strong model which
bridges to national
language
Literacy, life skills
(numeracy & marketing,
health education,
functional topics)
Kavet bilingual teacher training
Local NGO Creative Initiatives Using
Local languages-Non-timber Forest Products (NTFP)
Community-Based Non-formal Education
Community Health Groups
Community-Based Natural
Resource Management
Indigenous Youth
Development Project (IYDP)
Highlanders’ Association
(NTFP ‘spin-off’)
IDEAS (Indigenous Development Education Accommodation Support)
Kavet bilingual teacher training
MAP: LOCATION OF ETHNIC MINORITIES IN
CAMBODIA (source: Blench, 2002).
Non-formal Education (NFE)
• Ratanakiri (1997) ICC, NTFP, POE (2009)
• Steung Treng (2002) YWAM
• Mondulkiri (2001) ICC, POE
• Preah Vihear (2009)
Community Extension & Integrated Development:Ratanakiri, Mondulkiri
Primary Education:
Ratanakiri (2002 CARE)
Mondulkiri, other Provinces (CARE technical support, UNICEF, NGOs)
Nationwide –
Bilingual Initiatives 1997-presentLanguage Research:
Kuy, Cham, Pearic
Languages
5 Scripts Officially
Approved:
(Ratanakiri- 4 languages)
Official Policy: 2011
NTFP- Kavet Community Health Workers
Cambodian pre-
literate level
(1996):
re-hydration
lesson
Based on Unicef
“Facts for Life”
Re-hydration lesson: Brao language
Natural Resources:
Bilingual Community Forest Regulations
(Kavet + Khmer Languages)
In 1997, the
Kavet language
was unwritten
Among the 6
villages, only a
handful were
semi-literate in
Khmer
Reviewing Community Forest
Regulations: Kavet Language
Natural Resource Committee
members and commune leaders
Checking Kavet language
community forestry
regulations
Community leaders- literate
• Community Leaders
• Educated through NFE project
Expansion site: Steung Treng Province
7 Kavet villages
Our language can be written down!
Climbing tree
for better view of
literacy books and
alphabet chart
How many want to
learn to read?
(Everyone!!)
about 650 students-
7 villages
Former Khmer Rouge
Child Soldier learning to
be a literacy teacher
Challenges & Opportunities
Ratanakiri Overcoming
challenges…
Unexpected Survey Outcome….
Steung Treng
Opportunities: Indigenous Youth
Development Project assists NFE
IYDP coaching
bilingual literacy class and teacher
IYDP consult with village education
board members
IDEAS
from IYDP
alumni
2008: 30 students, including 10 girls
First girl primary school graduates
start secondary school
IDEAS 2010:
50 students all language
groups (20 girls)
Cholera outreach training
Nurse in
training:
First girl
graduate!
Cultural and linguistic diversity is important to Cambodia as a nation.
Through affirming and preserving the language, identity, and cultural heritage of the ethnic minority peoples, together with providing access to education and civil processes, they will be engaged and integrated into the Cambodian civil society and building the country.
H E Em Sothy Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sport
Cambodia
Bilingual Literacy-Progress• Strong women‟s participation- 30-40%
students, female teachers
(Much more confident in bilingual approach
than Khmer approach)
• Literacy teacher training main source of
education in Kavet villages-
• All Village and commune leaders involved,
most former NFE volunteer teachers
Progress cont‟d
Literacy a useful skill- basis for all development, accessing government training
Previously -„no literates- no one to send‟- for TBA training, veterinarian, malaria worker….
Now teachers become leaders, students become teachers- pool of literates in Kavet + Khmer
Ongoing Challenges
NFE approach is not yet priority in gov‟t ed.
sector, formal ed gets much more attention
Need to strengthen cooperation between all
partners- from village to local authorities, district,
to provincial level, and IOs, GOs, NGOs
POE Ratanakiri no ethnic minority staff
DOE Ratanakiri has few ethnic staff in
leadership
However neighboring Mondulkiri has many ethnic
staff in leadership in POE, DOE
Lessons Learned(local Senior Advisor)
NFECommunity ownership to Bilingual NFE key
Strong cooperation between all parties (IO, GO, NGO)
NFE teachers (bilingual, Khmer) would benefit by becoming official government staff
Bilingual approach needs to be more widespread , adopted by government education services, many areas are waiting
(Currently NFE in 3 villages supported by Ratanakiri POE)
Attitudes
Bilingual skills have become „useful‟ and valued: NGOs have posts required local language/cultural skills
Lessons Learned-
Factors Contributing to Success (NTFP Staff)
Community ownership and decision making
Community teachers
Importance of Expansion
Consensus within the
Kavet villages in Ratanakiri
Synergy with
Kavet in Steung Treng:
“We can do it, you can do it too!!”
Empowerment Ratanakiri Highlanders style:
“Keep on teaching, keep on learning, keep on
starting new initiatives as needed….”
References• HE Chey Chap, In The, Anne Thomas (2003). Bilingual Education in
Cambodia (www.sil.org/asia/ldc/parallel_papers/he_chey_chap.pdf )
• Thomas, Anne (2003). Designing and Launching Bilingual Community-based Non-formal Education and Extension Initiatives in the Cambodian Highlands.(www.sil.org/asia/ldc/parallel_presentations.html)
• Thomas, Anne ‘From Bullets to Blackboards’ Chapter on Cambodia Highlands. www.riseinstitute.org
• Thomas, Anne E. Thomas (2002). Bilingual Community-based Education in the Cambodian Highlands: a Successful Approach for Enabling Access to Education by Indigenous Peoples. Journal of Southeast Asian Education. Vol 3, No 1, pp.26-58.
• UNESCO 2004: Manual for Literacy and Adult Education Programmes in Minority Language Communities. UNESCO Bangkok, Dr. Susan Malone