Multilingual Education and

other initiatives in Orissa

Sri NBDhal ,IAS
State Project Director
And
Dr M.K.Mishra, State Coordinator
SC/ST and Minority Education,
Orissa Primary Education Programme Authority

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 Some focal points
Ø MLE is to bridge the mother tongue with other
tongues(MT+L2( state lang) +L3 English
Ø A blend of bottom up and top down approach
Ø Political will( 55 Tribal MLAs)State TAC
approved
Ø Thematic Approach- NCF 2005
Ø Strong community involvement in intellectual
work
Ø Tribal Teachers leadership for own community
Ø Ensure children’s meaningful learning

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 The Scenario in Orissa…
Population: Nearly 40 Million
ST Population: 23%
SC Population: 15%
Literacy Rate: 63%
However, there is a great variation
among the districts of Orissa in
literacy rates & other social
parameters.
7 out of 30 districts have female
literacy less than 30 %
Example:
Female Literacy Rate of Nawarangpur: 21%
Female Literacy Rate of Khurda: 71%
A difference of over 50 percentage
points!!!
Similar is the diversity and variation in other social
parameters like health status, IMR, MMR, Elementary enrolment rate,
Elementary completion rate etc.
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 MLE Districts of Orissa

• Gajapati - Saura
• Kondhmal – Kui
Jajpur
• Keonjhar – Juang
• Malkangiri – Bonda, Koya
• Mayurbhanj – Munda, Santali
• Rayagada – Kuvi, Saura
• Sambalpur – Kishan
MLE • Sundergarh – Oram, Munda
Districts

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 Status of Orissa from tribal lens
Ø 23 % tribal of state population
Ø 62 scheduled tribes in the state
Ø Three language groups( Austro Asiatic,
Dravidian, Indo Aryan)
Ø 13 endangered tribes with vulnerable
situation

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 Literacy of tribal in Orissa
Total literacy 63.08 Tribal literacy
Literacy) 75.35 37.37
Female literacy 50.51 Tribal male 51.48
Tribal female
23.37
Gap : 41.25% male
Gap: 54% female
Over all gap 38 %

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Status of Tribal School Children
(source: CTS’06)

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 Schools with Language Situation
(Source: DISE’07)
No No of Language Situation
. Schools with schools
percentage of
1 100% 3956 Mono lingual situation

2 99%-90% 2889 Monolingual situation

3 89%-80% 2548 Multilingual situation

4 79%-70% 2310 Multilingual situation

5 69%-60% 2447 Multilingual situation

6 59%-50% 2311 Multilingual situation

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 Focus Areas of out-of-school ST
children
Ø 10 districts contribute towards nearly 80% of the
total out-of-school ST children

Ø Koraput (25540), Nabrangpur (25273), Rayagada

(22771) & Keonjhar (19645) are the top four

Ø Closely followed by Sundergarh (13293), Malkangiri

(12938), Mayurbhanj (12172), Sambalpur (11348)

Ø Kalahandi (10600) and Bolangir (9994) bring up the

rear

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Position of Linguistic Minority Students
(Source: CTS’06)

Ø There are 19340 schools having 20+

students of Linguistic Minority group
Ø Total no. of such students in these schools
are 10,99,240
Ø Nearly 2/3rd of them(711607) belong to
Santhali (150680) & other Tribal lang.
(560927)
Ø 10 Districtsaccount for over 92%of these
Tribal languages group children

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OCC-2005

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 (Source: Vision 2020,p311)
ØInappropriate medium of
instruction
ØImperfect teacher pupil
communication (barrier)
ØUnsuitable curricula and textbooks
ØIncompatible formal school
environment
ØLess community participation

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 TAS study indicate
1.ST boys were behind others in Koraput,Malkangiri ,
Nuapada where as ST girls are behind others in
Sonepur. (Class I mathematics)

2. There was decline in language competency in the

districts of Malklangiri,Mayurbhanj, and
Sonepur.(Class -I language)

3.ST students in general perform less than others in

reading comprehension on test in the Malkangiri and
Nuapada.(Class IV Language)

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 Other Issues
Ø Community engage the children in earning
Ø Sibling care
Ø Poor livelihood (food insecurity, health
issues, traditional mode of earning)
Ø cultural belief,apahetic attitude of field
functionaries, mismatch of language

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Existing school with blocking the learning

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 Results…
Ø High dropouts
Ø Low achievement
Ø Failure in achieving national goal
Ø Loss of human resource
Ø Increase in social discrimination
Ø Blocking education and literacy
Ø Non participation of community
Ø Violation of children's linguistic and cultural
right

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 Efforts of SC/ST Development
Dept.
Ø Dept of SC/ST Development
Schools under SC/ST development Dept.
High Schools : 248
( boys HS155+Girls HS 143)
Ashram Schools: 109
Res.Sevasharam: 143
Sevasharam: 1031
Primary School Hostel: 1548
Ekalavya model Schools : 11
Upgraded Higher Secondary Schools: 11
Pre-matirc Scholarship and Post-matric Scholarship for
residential and nonresidential ST/SC children

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 Convergence with SC/ST
Development Dept.

Ø SSA provides SIG,TLM,R&M,additional

classrooms,
Ø Up gradation of 825 SS and RSS to
upgrade up to Class VIII
Ø Opening of 277 Primary School Hostels

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Ø DPEP:SC/ST education for Equity Focus
Ø SSA : SC/ST and minority Education
Ø NPEGEL:Addressing equity issues in189
Blocks by opening 3216 MCS in 27
Districts of Orissa
Ø KGBV: Opened 157 KGBV schools in 23
Districts of Orissa in which 4827 ST girls are
addressed among 9734 girls enrolled

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 Constitutional Obligations

Ø Art.46 – State to promote the Educational Need

of the Weaker sections of the society (SC & ST)

Ø Art.350-A – Adequate facilities for instruction in

mother tongue at the Primary stage of education
to children of Linguistic Minority groups

Ø Art.21-A – Free & Compulsory Elementary

education of equitable Quality for all children
upto 14 yrs of age

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Quotes from the National Curriculum Framework
2005
Ø The mother tongue is a critical conduit, that
social, economic and ethnic backgrounds are
important for enabling children to construct their
own knowledge. Foreword, page 4)
Ø The fact that knowledge is constructed by the
child implies that curricula, syllabi, and textbooks
should enable the teacher in organizing
classroom experiences in consonance with the
child’s nature and environment, and thus
providing opportunities for all children. (Executive
Summary, page 8)

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 State Concern
Ø State Tribal Advisory Committee approved
Multilingual Education to be introduced in
Orissa in ten languages in 2006-07 under
the chairman ship of Chief Minister ,Orissa
Ø MLE is implemented in class-I in pilot
schools (200) in 2007-08 academic session
Ø Bridging from 100% tribal language in class-
I to 100% Oriya by class-V over a period of
five years

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The National Curriculum Framework 2005
( Plan for bridging and transition)

*MLE is not introduced in the ECCE

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 Child in the center…
•Child see her world in her mother tongue
•Child learns best from her familiar world
•known to unknown
•Child learn better if the content is from
cultural context
•There should not be a gap between the
home language and school language
•Learning become responsive if the
experience is reflected in the teaching
content and method
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An ideal MLE based school

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 Principles
•NCF-2005 is the guiding principle for framing
the curriculum for ten languages
•Syllabus was adopted from NCERT

•Experience from other countries on MLE were

gathered and learnt

•Learning process of tribal society was

discussed- themes are better known to the

community
•Language and culture as instrumental in

shaping the themes

•

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 Process of Material Production in
MLE
Ø Teachers selected seasonal themes for a
calendar year
Ø Theme web was selected for language and
mathematics
Ø In the language theme web, other subject were
integrated
Ø These theme webs were prepared based on
the basic principles of NCF-2005 w.r.t. the
basic skill of learning of Language,
Mathematics , EVS, physical edn., health edn.
& moral edn.
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Seasonal themes

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 Framework of MLE in Orissa

Academic
Year

Term-1 Term-II Term-III

10 weeks 10 weeks 10 weeks

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 Theme web:
There are 30 theme webs for 30 weeks
Two major theme webs for a week:
1. Language and EVs theme web which
also covers health/ physical education,
moral education, games and sports, songs
and dance etc.
2.Mathematic theme web

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General Theme Web

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 Number Stories Measurement
Money – Identify notes
Mental Arithmetic -- Oral Comparisons and coins, Transactions
Number Stories with -using L1 terms of of money using 3-4
addition and subtraction comparison notes
with single digits and with Time-Names of Days,
multiples of 10 Months, Sequence of
seasons and events

Song/ Riddle Shapes –

2D and 3D
Theme:_____
How do we use What shapes are
maths with this involved with this
theme? theme word?

Game

How Can we explain numerical

1. What kind of counting do we do
with this theme in our culture?
2. What PATTERNS can we see in
numbers? What SEQUENCES?
E.g. The number 10 can be broken
into these patterns
5 + 5, 4 + 6, 3 + 7, 2 + 8, 1 + 9
Counting and
Patterns
Especially patterns
in numbers
data connected with this theme?
What exercise can we develop to
give the children a chance to
investigate, record and analyze
Measurement numbers? Birthdays of class
Length – measure the theme members, heights of class
with uniform units members
Capacity – if the theme is
liquid, and if there are different
Data Handling
shaped containers, guess and
verify if capacities are the
same
Weight – how are balances
used with this theme
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 Child Centered Learning in MLE How ?

Ø Two Mega Strategies

1.Skills Based Development-
Confidence and competence through
practice with engagement!
2. Meaning Based Contextualized Learning
emphasizing creativity and rooted in
learner’s background and culture

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 Two Track Strategies..
(Jim Cummins)
Track I CALPS Track II BICS
(Cognitive Academic Language (Basic Interpersonal
Proficiency Skill) communication skill)

Ø Correctness and Ø Meaning and

accuracy Communication

Ø New knowledge to Ø Experience of the

be imbibed child to be explored

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 Weekly Lesson Plan
Ø Whole year ( 180 days is divided in to 30 weeks
Ø Teachers have prepared weekly lesson plan for
thirty weeks
Ø Weekly theme web is available in schools
Ø Daily Lesson Plan is prepared by the teachers
Ø Daily time table to teach in Track I and Track
II
Ø Track I 10.30 to 12.00 ( CALPS)
Ø Track II 12.30 to 4.00 ( BICS)

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 A Complete Annual Lesson
Plan
Ø Teachers need not worry to write daily
lesson plan since he has already
prepared the annual plan before the
school started

Ø There is a village curriculum and

multiple instructional materials to be used
by the children and the teachers

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 Weekly plan for using the
book
Track I Track II
(CALPS) (BICS)
Ø Alphabet Chart Ø Big Book
Ø Alphabet Book Ø Small Book
Ø Number Chart Ø Listening Story
Ø Number Book Ø Experience Story
Ø Math Book Ø EVS( nature study)
Ø Games and sports
Ø Songs, tales, riddles,
etc.

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 Monitoring and Evaluation
Ø Monthly academic sharing meeting of MLE
teachers
Ø 30 SC/ST and Minority Education Coordinator
monitor the field programme
Ø BRCC/CRCC are trained on concept of MLE
and to support them MLE schools(26 Blocks)
Ø Community take responsibility to provide
support to school
Ø Parents and teacher discuss on children’s
achievement
Ø 30 BRPs on MLE to be posted
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 Activities undertaken for
Implementation 2007-08
Ø Pilot Schools were identified in the Blocks
Ø District MLE Steering Committee headed by
Collector approved the Pilot schools
Ø Teachers from same community have been
transferred and engaged
Ø Training on MLE to teachers was imparted
Ø Community mobilization programme was
conducted in the villages
Ø Local MLAs support this prog on State TACs.

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 MLE Pilot Schools,2007-08
Ø Saora 30 schools Gajapati, Raygada
Ø Munda 20 schools Sundargarh,Mayurbhanj)
Ø Santal 20 schools Mayurbhanj
Ø Koya 20 schools Malkangiri
Ø Bonda 05 schools Malkangiri
Ø Juang 10 schools Keonjhar
Ø Oram 20 schools Sundargarh
Ø Kishan 20 schools Sambalpur
Ø Kui 20 schools Kondhmal
Ø Kuvi 20 schools Rayagada

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 Expansion of MLE Schools,2008-
09
Ø Saora 30 schools Gajapati, Raygada
Ø Munda 20 schools Sundargarh, Mayurbhanj
Ø Santal 100 schools Mayurbhanj
Ø Koya 20 schools Malkangiri
Ø Bonda 05 schools Malkangiri
Ø Juanga 10 schools Keonjhar
Ø Oram 20 schools Sundargarh
Ø Kishan 20 schools Sambalpur
Ø Kui 20 schools Kondhmal
Ø Kuvi 20 schools Rayagada

Total MLE Schools in Orissa- 450

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 Efforts for Expansion of MLE
2008-09(PAB approved )
Ø 100 Schools with 100 % santali children are
opened in Mayurbhanj district . Santali materials
are distributed in the schools.
Ø 200 schools on rest 9 languages in existing
Blocks
Ø Teachers from existing system are transferred
to MLE schools
Ø Curriculum and Text books are prepared for
class II for 2008-09

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 Capacity Building and
Institutionalization
Ø Three DIETs have opened Regional
Resource centers for tribal education
Ø DIET Baripada: Northern Zone
Ø DIET: Samalpur: Western Zone
Ø DIET: Jeypore: Southern Zone
( UNICEF is providing human resource
support for these centers)
Opening of a SC/ST Monitoring unit in TE
and SCERT is underway

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 Some positive instances..
Ø After six months of schooling in Class I
child is able to read a sentence and
identify the words and letters from the
sentence with meaning, if it is in her
mother tongue.
Ø Child can think and create if given a
context, or else not.
Ø Textbook is limited and children’s
experience is unlimited. Some instances..
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Reading and writing

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 Reflection
Ø Children got back their voice
Ø Enrollment and retention improved
Ø Children started talking in their language and
understood the content
Ø They started reading and writing and identifying
letters/words from the sentence,
Ø Students from other classes are also interested
in learning (reading big book, small book,
listening stories, math book )

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A fish from the book and many fish

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 Progress in Multilingual Education
Mother tongue to Second language
Ø Building ØBegin reading ØContinue to
confidence in and writing in develop writing,
mother
tongue- mother tongue reading,
fluency in ØFluency in speaking in
speaking speaking mother tongue
Understanding
Ø Pre reading the meaning ØIntroduction of
and writing
skill in Oral Oriya
mother ØContinue oral
tongue mother tongue ØTransfer of
ØDevelop writing skill from
Ø Pre-math writing skill and mother tongue
skills associate sound to Oriya
and symbols language

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 Community support
Ø Community took part in curriculum
Ø Community validated the instructional materials
and incorporated their needs and ideas
Ø They could understand the classroom and
school as a part of their socio- educational
system
Ø It was a new experience for the community to
see that how their experiential knowledge are
applied in classroom, and they take part in it.
Ø School became the place of community
wisdom

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Involvement of community form
material
preparation to 56
 Responsive MLE schools
Ø Teachers from the community and
teaches in mother tongue
Ø Desired result is visible in Class I since
children are able to speak fluently, read
and write with purpose and meaning and
understand the text connected to their life
experience with the textual knowledge
Ø Children are creative and optimistic

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 What is Srujan
A community based programme
Ø Retention Drive with community participation
Ø PRIs orientation and involvement
Ø Space for children's activities
Ø Documentation of children's folklore
Ø Preparation of reading materials
Ø Padhaghar: Community resource center
Ø Provide language materials to MLE schools

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Srujan :Interschool activities

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 SRUJAN
Based on NCF 2005 ideas

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SRUJAN

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Story telling Festival
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3D wall paintings: Santal art

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Traditional wall paintings :
Geometry?

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Community mental mathematics
One riddle
100 legs , 72 eyes
How many hen, how many elephants ?
(Ans:22,14)
But how it was organized in the mental text of
the old man who conceptualized this?
Another Riddle :
Wife and husband have twenty two ears
( who are they?)
(Ravana and Mandodari)

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 Implement of Srujan
Ø 3 lakhs children have taken part in story telling festival,
traditional games, music and dance, art and craft and
nature study
Ø 523 Clusters are taken up in 36 Blocks on pilot basis
Ø 7896 schools are involved
Ø 10000 community members are involved
Ø 2100 PRI members are oriented on SRUJAN
Ø 14000 teachers have actively participated
Ø 15000 stories from the community collected
Ø 75000 children took part in story telling festival
Ø Community reading room was opened in 523 clusters

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 Impact of SRUJAN
Ø Community in school took part in oral teaching(
story telling, narrating village experience, talking
about nature, trees )
Ø Learning is intergenerational
Ø Experiential learning was connected to school
learning
Ø Documentation of oral tales, art,craft,
Ø Children found a space of their expression of art
Ø Community knowledge is used in the school a

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A classroom story on the wall : Village
women as TLM makers

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 MLE schools can be a model for
other schools
Ø Many innovative activities on language and
mathematics can be applied in other Schools
Ø Inter school exchange programme in Srujan
will help in borrowing the ideas and activities,
MLE can generate new methods
Ø Other schools can generate support
Ø The more they understand, the more they
accept NCF and achieve national goal.

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 We understand that
Ø MLE is not a change in the system, but it is a
transformation of existing human resource
Ø It is equally a top down and bottom up
approach
Ø It is based on cultural context, so it is down to
the earth, closer to the children, property of the
village.
Ø It is not to replace the mother tongue or
dominant language but to connect the mother
tongue with other dominant languages.

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 For more information
please see www.opepa.in
spd@opepa.in

Thank you
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