Free textbooks are distributed to primary and secondary students throughout the country on January 1 every year. Hilly areas are no exception. However, in addition to the national curriculum, the Department of Primary Education has been distributing books in its own mother tongue to students from pre-primary to third grade in the hilly areas of the three small ethnic communities of Chakma, Marma and Tripura.
A book distribution festival was held at Bandarban Donbosco Government Primary School on Sunday morning. Students from ethnic minority groups were excited to receive books written in their own language.
In addition to distribution of national textbooks to general students from pre-primary to fifth standard, books in their own mother tongue were distributed to Marma, Chakma and Tripura students from pre-primary to third standard.
Seema Das, head teacher of Donbosko Government Primary School, said that in addition to general students, 94 students of Marma, Chakma and Tripura students in three classes from pre-primary to third grade were distributed books written in their own mother tongue. However, there is a shortage of language teachers for the minority ethnic groups Marma, Chakma and Tripura, so she urged the government to appoint language teachers for the minority ethnic groups.
The parent Mrayoi nu marma said that the government is giving books of their own language to the ethnic group, but there are no teachers to teach them, so he demanded the government to appoint teachers of the language of the ethnic group.
According to Bandarban District Primary Education Office, in 2023, 435 government primary schools in 7 upazilas have 6400 books in pre-primary class, 7920 books for each student in 1st class, 3 books for each student in 2nd class, 01 book for each student in 3rd class, 2410 books in total, 24251 books, Chakma - 1511 books. , Marma-17545 books and Tripura language 5195 books were distributed.
Kya Shwe Prue Kokha, a senior educationist and language researcher of Bandarban district, said that now only Chakma, Marma and Tripura students are being taught in their own mother tongue, students of other communities should also be taught. However, there is a great shortage of quality teachers of Marma, Chakma Tripura language. He himself started training as a Marma language instructor from Bandarban Primary Training Institute from 2019, but the training was stopped due to covid-19. Now that the Coronavirus infection has reduced in Bangladesh, quality teachers can be found if teachers start training in their own mother tongue again at the public and private levels. Therefore, as soon as mother tongue teachers can be made at the government and private level immediately, this linguist believes that it will bring the well-being of the teachers-students of the minority ethnic groups in their area and the country.
District Primary Education Officer Safiul Alam said that in seven Upazilas of Bandarban district, since 2017, National Curriculum textbooks have been distributed to all students from pre-primary to fifth standard, as well as from pre-primary to third standard. He said that the books of Marma, Chakma and Tripura communities in their mother tongue were distributed. In response to a question, he said that the training of the language teachers of the Ksdranri group will be resumed this year.
The book distribution festival was chaired by Mountain District Council member Sing young mro and was also attended by principal teacher Seema Das of Donbosko Government Primary School, upazila primary education officer Muhammad Ilyach, parent member Sain Twai Marma and other parents.