Mother-tongue-based Multilingual Education (MTB MLE) in the Indian State of Odisha: Issues, Challenges and Impact

Abstract

Mother-tongue-based multilingual education (MTB MLE) as a strategy for addressing high student drop-out rate and poor educational performance in school education in tribal regions is well-established today in India. Odisha is one of the pioneering states to have adopted this policy to reduce high student drop-out rate among primary school students in tribal regions of the state. MTB MLE programme in the state of Odisha is functional since 2007. As per a government notification dated 1st July 2014, the MLE programme in Odisha ‘shall be continued and extended to all tribal children in the state in a phased manner.’ This paper reports on a study undertaken in the tribal dominated district of Sundargarh to generate information on the issues and challenges involved in the implementation of the MTB MLE programme in the district. In addition, the study also aimed at generating information on the impact the programme has had on those tribal students who have been a part of this programme and have today graduated to the senior classes. Sundargarh district even though being a scheduled district of the state, still houses industrial and cosmopolitan towns like, Rourkela, Rajgangpur Kansbahal, Biramitrapur and Sundargarh main The languages spoken in the area are multiple and varied. Data elicited from school teachers, tribal language teachers, school head-teachers, government officials and students reveal that even though the programme is progressing on the right track there are still numerous issues that need to be handled at the implementation level for the programme to be designated as successful in the right sense. Additionally, the study also revealed that certain other language and social issues exist at a latent level which the MTB MLE approach has not been able to address till now.