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