in focus

Multilingualism is a way of life in India but its complexity generates an enormous challenge for education, particularly in India’s remote tribal regions where the languages spoken are different from the languages used in schools. The education provided is often inappropriate for, and even hostile to indigenous minority groups, “creating a barrier to learning achievement”. In order to provide quality education, which takes into consideration the needs of tribal children as learners, it is generally now agreed that the linguistic and cultural heritage must be acknowledged and used. The multilingual education programmes (MLE) using tribal languages and local culture, particularly in the initial stages of education, gradually moving to regional and national languages. This article looks at some of the processes which are required to develop a MLE, including scripting local languages, developing a spelling system, producing a multilingual curriculum and providing resources such as literature and dictionaries with the help of ICTs.

Throughout the ages, people and their governments have struggled to find an easy, cheap, and effective way to govern the country. eGovernment, however, is changing the nature of government interaction with citizens. ICTs have the potential to drastically change this interaction by making systems more integrated, transparent, and efficient.

In developing country contexts, handheld computer applications are starting to show their benefits across development sectors. Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) and other types of handheld computers offer considerable advantages over desktops or even laptops. Health and microfinance have been particularly keen to test handheld applications.