Speakers at a seminar, held to mark `International Mother Language Day', demanded of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to take practical steps for establishment of regional language authority under the relevant Act in the province.
The seminar held on the topic of `Inclusion of all languages of KP in public education', was organized by a coalition group concerning regional languages, on eve of International Mother Language Day. Abdul Haq, adviser to KPK chief minister, was the chief guest on the occasion while parliamentarians from different political parties, who participated as keynote speakers, included Syed Jaffar Shah from ANP, Saleem Khan of PPPP, Muhammad Ali from Jamaat-i-Islami.
Representatives of more than 27 regional languages, members of civil society organisation, language activists, educationists, researchers, experts, linguistics and people belonging to ethno-language communities from across the province, attended the seminar.
Speaking on the occasion, Abdul Haq, said that provincial government was taking steps for promotion of regional languages.
Highlighting the importance of mother languages, he agreed to promote regional languages in the province.
Deploring that culture had been fallen prey to the government policy of emphasising English at the expense of indigenous languages, speakers said that ignoring those languages had resulted in severing ties between indigenous youth and their ancestors.
Syed Jaffar Shah said that the education was paramount for development, but the progress could be made only by promoting regional languages in the province. He added the developed and developing nations could achieve their common goals by prioritising their regional languages.
Shah discontented that despite the passage of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Promotion of Regional Language Authority Act 2012, the provincial government has failed to establish the Authority for the promotion of more than 27 regional languages in the province.
"KP government has, so far, allocated Rs 60 million for establishment of Regional Language Authority", but no practical step has been taken in this regard," he lamented. He further said that political leadership was not sincere in protecting their culture and traditions.
Brushing aside tall claims of PTI-led provincial government about reforms in education sector, ANP leader said there were still 2.7m children out of schools, besides more than 36,000 children were not enrolled in public sector schools in district Nowshera and Peshawar.
PPP's Saleem Khan said the promotion of regional languages was a key to success and development in the country. He viewed that the lack of indigenous education would continue to set indigenous youth apart from their cultures.
He underscored the importance of educating youth in their own cultures, along with using indigenous languages to educate them.
Muhammad Ali of Jamaat-i-Islami said that education is the key to self-determination and recommended that educational instruction should take place in indigenous languages.
He asked the government to take practical steps for the promotion of regional languages and youths should be educated about their culture, traditions and norms.
Later, participants of the seminar through a unanimously adopted resolution called for immediate establishment of KP Regional Language Authority, under KP Promotion of Regional Language Authority Act, promulgated by the provincial assembly around three years back.
The proposed authority, the resolution said, should be expanded to all linguistic languages, ensuring representation of people belonging to ethno-linguistics communities in the province.
It was also demanded through the resolution that necessary amendments be made into the KP Regional Language Authority Act in consultation with linguistic communities.
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