Mother Tongue-based Literacy Programmes: Case Studies of Good ...

(b) The beneficiaries developed confidence to speak out in front of outsiders.(c) The beneficiaries got opportunities to go out of the home to participate in development activities.Some of them have developed saving habits as well.(d) They developed the habit of sharing their learning.(e) Teaching and learning through songs further attracted the beneficiaries to participate in the classmore regularly and actively.Capacity to Learn the National LanguagesA number of questions can be raised about the relationship of the policiesto the impact of mother tongue classes. For example, how do learners feelat the time of learning? How do they feel capacitated to learn their own andas well as other languages? What are the difficulties for them in learninglanguage and writing the learnt contents? Phul Kumari’s experience (seethe box below) in her Tharu language class helps to answer some of thesequestions.Tharu Mother Tongue Literacy Empowered MePhul Kumari Chaudhary, 40, is a married woman living in Ghorahavillage. Last year, her son left home for the Middle East for employment.© BASEHer son asked her to write letters in Nepali. “Initially, I asked for assistancefrom others to write letters to my son. But after joining the literacy class, Itried to write some sentences in Nepali and then I asked my facilitator to check. She helped andencouraged me to write more. I tried at least five times, then I became able to write whatever Iwanted to say to my son. Now my son is very happy that I am capable of writing letters to himin Nepali.Socio-economic Impact on LearnersA mother tongue literacy class offers the participants ample opportunities to discuss their life- relatedissues in the mother tongue, and it gradually leads them to use the national language (Nepali) withgreater confidence. In Dang, the Tharu women found themselves “empowered” in many ways. They wereable to take part in family decisions. They were able to raise their voice against domestic violence andexploitation by their landlords.The second impact that was observed was the increase in their communications skills - both oral andwritten. They felt less inhibited in participating in community activities. They were also able to use theirwriting skills in communicating with their relatives living and working in foreign countries or in readingand filling out application forms for different government or banking activitiesThe third impact of the literacy class on the participants was seen in their capacity to fight for their rightsto get citizenship certificates.[ 141 ]