Chandana Tripura, Bangladesh teacher: “I cried when my mom dropped me off on my first day of school and didn’t stop until my teacher spoke to me in Kok Borok, my mother tongue. That calmed me down a bit and I managed to pass the time, but the next day, my mom still had to take me to school by force – I didn’t want to go to school because I did not understand the language of instruction, Bangla. Now that I can read in my mother tongue, I have grown to appreciate how much we are losing our culture and traditions through lack of use and practice, and I’ve also learned more about other ethnic groups, like the Marma, Chakma, Garo etc. This awareness is growing among parents and villagers as well.”
