[lg policy] Thailand: Stressing the importance of language

[Harold Schiffman]

Stressing the importance of language
By Premyuda Boonroj
The Nation
Published on November 10, 2010

Abhisit vows to protect diversity, give ethnic kids right to use mother tongue


As legendary statesman Nelson Mandela said “if you talk to a man in a
language he understands, that goes to his head �" but if you talk to
him in his language, that goes to his heart”.  This importance of
language is being highlighted in an international event in Bangkok as
more than a communication tool but the identity of individuals and
groups, and a key element in social integration and cultural
development.

Some 400 educators, state officials and advocates have gathered for a
“Language, Education and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)”
conference which began yesterday until November 11. Its aim is to
exchange information, raise public awareness, inspire delegates into
meaningful action and inform decision makers on ways to effectively
incorporate language and education into strategies and policies to
achieve MDGs and Education For All (EFA).

As countries head at their own pace towards achieving MDGs and EFA
before 2015, minorities are in fear of being left behind. Their
concern is greater disparity that would hinder efforts to overcome
poverty, illiteracy and disease; as well as increasing the likelihood
of conflict arising from exclusion. Keynote speaker Professor Suzanne
Romaine from Oxford University emphasised language should be at the
centre of development towards the ambitious MDGs.  She said, however,
children couldn’t learn if taught in languages they didn’t understand
" and the poor would not benefit from assistance offered in a language
foreign to them.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva presided over the opening ceremony,
saying that, despite positive progress by many countries " including
Thailand" towards MDGs, there were millions of people they still had
to reach. As they included the poorest and most vulnerable and those
living in the remotest areas, it was essential to ensure development
efforts were widespread and equitable so that everyone could benefit.

Since their little-known languages put small groups at a disadvantage,
governments should embrace minority languages wherever possible, he
said, “by understanding and respecting differences in languages, we
can better bridge the communication and cultural gaps and more
effectively meet MDGs.”

Abhisit affirmed the Thai government had worked hard to protect and
promote cultural diversities, as evidenced at schools where the
curriculum included the study of local languages. He said he would
soon appoint a cabinet-level committee to ensure the recently-approved
Royal Institute of Thailand’s National Language Policy. It maintained
that the right of ethnic children to have their mother tongue included
in a school curriculum was put into practice in education as well as
in healthcare, regional commerce and human security.

 He said the Education Ministry had cooperated on programs to
encourage Mother-Tongue-Based Multilingual Education, especially in
border areas such as those in the Deep South. Students in pilot
schools there learned to read and write in their native Pattani Malay
which served as a bridge to the national language of Thai. He had been
told the students had improved greatly academically.

The event’s talk sessions were divided into three tracks; Language and
Universal Primary Education, Language and Gender Equity, Language and
Sustainable Development. In the first track yesterday, studies on
Mother-Tongue-Based Multilingual Education programmes, using ethnic
languages (along with national and international languages) in early
childhood education, were presented to help improve educational
achievement, confidence and access.

The conference was co-organized by UNESCO, UNICEF, the Southeast Asian
Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO), SIL International, the
Royal Institute of Thailand, Mahidol University’s Research Institute
for Languages and Cultures of Asia, the Asian Institute of Technology
(AIT), Save the Children, CARE, and the Asia South Pacific Association
For Basic and Adult Education (ASPBAE).

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/home/2010/11/10/national/Stressing-the-importance-of-language-30141925.html

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