A Situation Analysis Study conducted by LLF in September 2018 in Dungarpur district of Rajasthan revealed that the children have no to little exposure to Hindi when they join the school. They speak Wagdi at home. These children are put at a great disadvantage in schools where Hindi is the medium of instruction from grade 1. They struggle to make any sense of what is being taught in the classroom. Thus, education at school becomes a meaningless and futile experience for these children.
To address the home-school language gap, LLF started a two-year Multilingual Education (MLE) Program in 40 schools of Dungarpur in April, 2019 with the support of UNICEF.
The objectives of the program are to (1) develop basic reading, writing, listening and speaking skills in Hindi; and (2) strengthen children’s higher order thinking abilities and oral expression in Wagdi.
The program provides for extended oral language work in Wagdi in the initial six months. This helps in developing children’s higher order listening comprehension and oral expression skills in their home language. Hindi, the language of textbooks, is introduced alongside gradually in a comprehensible and fun-filled manner.
LLF provides the following support to the schools:
- Teacher trainings
- Regular on-site support
- Instructional guides for teachers
- TLM (Big books in Wagdi and Hindi, story books, poem posters, picture posters, letter cards, grids, workbooks)
