This document summarizes research on the impact and challenges of mother-tongue based multilingual education (MTB-MLE) programs in Northwestern Pakistan. The research found that students in MTB-MLE programs performed better in English tests compared to students educated only in Urdu or English. Interviews revealed parents and teachers noticing academic and social benefits from MTB-MLE. However, challenges included resistance from policymakers who prioritize English, lack of funding, and difficulties supporting many local languages. The researcher calls for more formal studies on MTB-MLE's impacts and how to address societal attitudes challenging its expansion.

1. Impact and challengesImpact and challenges
of MTB-MLE inof MTB-MLE in
North Western PakistanNorth Western Pakistan
by Muhammad Zaman Sagarby Muhammad Zaman Sagar
Forum for Language Initiatives (FLI) PakistanForum for Language Initiatives (FLI) Pakistan

2. Map of Pakistan

3. Language map of Northwestern Pakistan

4. Language map of Southern Pakistan

5. MLE programmes in Pakistan
Northwestern Pakistan Southern Pakistan
Language
name
Total
centers
Total
students
Gawri 5
Gojri 33
Kalasha 1
Palula 2
Torwali 2
Language
name
Total
centers
Total
students
Balochi
Kachhi
Odhki
Parkari

6. The research project - background
• Pakistani parents often prefer to send their
children to an Urdu or English-medium school,
because these two languages are important, and
they see no use for education of the children in
their own mother tongue.
• Government agencies are often not convinced
about the advantages of mother-tongue-based
multilingual education, and are concerned about
the cost of developing and printing curriculum
materials in many different languages.

7. The research project – background (cont’d)
• We aim to look at the MLE programs that have
been started in Pakistan, and see if there is a
difference between students that have started
education in their mother tongue as compared to
students that have been immersed in another
language from the beginning.
• Our research was sponsored by the British
Council in Islamabad.
• This was a first, exploratory effort. It should be
followed up by a more formal study.

8. The research question
• What is the effectiveness of English language
learning in the mother-tongue-based MLE schools
as compared to English language learning in the
Urdu and English-medium schools?
• We visited each of the 8 MLE programs that were in
operation in Pakistan at that time.
• We compared the English language proficiency of
students that had been studying in an MLE program,
with the proficiency of students in that same grade-
level who had started education in a non-native
language.

9. The research tools:
• (1) where possible we administered a number of
simple tests and scored the number of correct
responses.
• (2) interviews with teachers, students, parents and
other family members, to get their impression about
the proficiency of both groups of students (students
in an MLE program and students in a government
school or other Urdu or English-medium program).
• (3) Observation in the classroom.
• (4) Inspection of report cards and other records.

10. Tests:
• Different types of tests were administered to find
out the performance of the learners in English,
Urdu and math.
• Oral and written proficiency in their mother tongues
were assessed through tests as well.
• Relationship between proficiency in mother tongue
and Urdu and English was looked at.

11. Results: scores of MLE vs. non-MLE students

12. Results: MT vs. Urdu and English
• Individuals who scored high in the mother tongue
tests, also scored high in the English tests and vice
versa.

13. Comments gleaned from the interviews
• “Students coming from the MLE schools perform
better in all subjects, including the learning of
English, as compared to those students who start
their pre-schooling in gov’t school.”
• “Parents are requesting admission for their
children in the MLE Schools.”
• “I think this program is providing us with two
types of benefits: firstly, our children perform
academically better, and secondly, saving our
heritage language, which was otherwise being
abandoned by the younger generations.”

14. Comments gleaned from the interviews (continued…)
• “English language learning is much easier for the
Kalasha MLE students, as they start with the
Roman alphabet letters, and consequently find it
easier to learn reading and writing English than
learning Urdu.”
• “The teachers in the Kalasha School teach more
efficiently to our children than the government
schools.”
• “Children spend time solving problems in groups
allowing themselves to listen and learn from
their peers.”

15. Comments gleaned from the interviews
(continued…)
• “Children are confident to present their stories or
give a speech in class or during functions.”
• “We could easily understand the lessons while
other students memorize them.”
• “Now parents are ready to send their girls to the
government schools after completing their
earlier education in the MLE School.”

16. Comments gleaned from the interviews
(continued…)
• “Now we learned the effectiveness of being
educated. Whatever we can offer to save this
school we will do it.”
• “We are happy that our girls are getting
education as well at their door-step.”

17. Challenges to the MTB MLE programs
• Resistance from ‘educated’ policy makers.
• The policy makers have not realized the
advantages of the MLE programs yet.
• Starting through Urdu and English is considered
to be more beneficial than a local language.
• It is time is to raise awareness among the agents of
change in Pakistan, especially the policy makers,
and convince them that MTB education can make
it easier to learn other languages especially
English.

18. Challenges to the MTB MLE programs (continued…)
• Almost all mother tongue based MLE programs are
supported financially and technically by
international agencies.
• The volatile nature of the country may cause these
agencies to stop their programs at any time as
nothing is predictable in the country.
• Local organisations running these programs do not
have the capacity to continue it on their own.

19. Challenges to the MTB MLE programs (continued…)
• Most people still support English medium school
education and think that the children perform
better by directly enrolling into it.
• Seasonal migration in Gawri community is a big
challenge.
• Resources are not sufficient to meet the needs of
all communities.
• Too many small languages all over the country,
and sometimes several local languages co-exist
in a small village/location.

20. Results and impact
• Students studying in the MLE schools are
performing better than the non-MLE students.
• Apart from saving the endangered languages of the
region, the MTB-MLE programs have positively
contributed towards increasing the literacy level
among the marginalized communities.
• These programs seem to have made a difference and
it is expected that they will expand further in future,
and society will accept it as a norm rather than an
exception.

21. Results and impact (continued…)
• If the MTB-MLE programs expand, it will discourage
the traditional rote learning and develop creative
and critical thinking among the students.

22. Suggestions for further research
• The scope of the present study was limited. A
follow-up study involving more subjects and a
research design that controls for interfering
factors is needed.
• A detailed study of the attitudes of society
(especially the elite) towards MTB-MLE can help
us to improve the program, and to cope with the
challenges successfully. This is crucial, as we the
only way out of the current educational crisis in
Pakistan is expansion of Mother Tongue Based
Multilingual Education.

23. Thank you!