Re: Baloch, Sindhi and Pakistani minorities to move UNHCR against 'language oppressio
You can't replace Urdu with regional languages. You just can't.
I can get that kids might understand some concepts better in their mother tongue, but many subjects haven't been extensively even been written about in sindhi - ex. science. What science book do you know is written in sindhi??
So, the idea is let the small kids learn in their mother language - except the issue is that
1) most kids will drop out of school by 8th grade, so they won't have learned much beyond a regional language - which does not allow them TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE REST OF THE COUNTRY. Therefore, they're already SOL.
2) The kids who want to do advanced grades beyond grades 6-8, will be at a sore disadvantage to kids who learned in Urdu and learned in English. They will be forever playing catch up. Go to America and check out the hurdles that Hispanic kids go through when they are non-english speaking immigrants.
You have to have one unifying language. Urdu worked, because it forced everyone in every province to learn a new language. So no one felt that one province had one-upped everyone else. It is the one thing that has worked out in Pakistan actually to unify the country.
These international groups are getting paid to screw up the social harmony that exists in the country, or whatever little of it exists.** Make people start speaking different languages, and they will easily be at war with each other.**
That's already happening and had already happened in some parts of Pakistan. The situation is hopeless when you see a general sense of xenophobia there, the more I reflect on it, the more I lose respect and become bitter, and that me saying as generally a stubborn optimist.
But on second thoughts because of one failed experiment, I don't think the idea should be shelved for other provinces. There is so much room to do things differently with better planning to achieve optimal results.
The idea of teaching in mother tongue can seriously reduce illiteracy rates in rural areas where the children will find it easier to study in the language they fully understand. It gets rid of lot of self esteem issues that comes with speaking in another language. Maybe more and more children will find going to school an attractive option if they are learning in a language they fully understand.
But I'm against having hard and fast rule. One province - one language rule will not work considering there are multiple languages within a province. So it can be done on a demographic basis, i.e areas with majority Pashtun children, can have schools teaching Pashto as medium of instructions and areas with Hindko speakers - can stick to Hindko. Same with Urdu and Sindhi - Sindhi demographics can stick to Sindhi whereas Urdu speaking demographics can have Urdu.
You need professional and expert legislators to come up with an all round and flexible solutions.
In Pakistan, so much nasty politics is done in the name of language and ethnicity, that there is serious reluctance from other mainstream parties to take bold initiatives. You think PTI will get votes in Karachi (or by Muhajirs) if it jumps on the Pashto language bandwagon? Who will vote for 'Pathano ki party'?
A real Pashto revival is taking place in KPK from grass root level, with proper allocated funds in LG as a counter narrative to religious extremism and post conflict therapy for the local communities. But you don't hear PTI leaders even mentioning it because there is serious stigma of being known as party of one particular ethnic group - it ruins your chances of getting votes and acceptance in other parts of the country.
But on a positive side - because the Pashto revival has not been hijacked with political pot stirring - it has more chances of becoming successful and running smoothly. It's always the politics that pollutes such initiatives.
