Are Schools Protecting Indigenous Languages?: The role of language-in-education policy on indigenous languages

Abstract

In this paper, I discuss the findings of a study that examined the status of Kurukh, an indigenous language belonging to the Dravidian language family, in Bangladesh and in India with regard to the respective LE policies. The study was conducted in remote Kurukh-speaking villages of Rangpur (Bangladesh) and Alipurduar (West Bengal, India). Classroom observations and teacher interviews were conducted in eight primary schools to examine the language provisions and language use in school. The findings were interpreted in relation to the LE-related policies of the two countries. The results showed that in both areas Kurukh was absent in the classroom which is in line with the limited recognition found in the policy documents in both countries. However, intriguing differences emerged in the two regions.