Curriculum on Bantawa language

Ilam, Aug 12: The Mangsebung Rural Municipality in Ilam district is working to implement the Bantawa Language Curriculum as a part of the local government’s initiative to promote mother languages.

For this effort, the rural municipality has started working by constituting a task force, Rural Municipality Chairman Hemanta Rai said. The rural municipality has already implemented the Local Curriculum and Limbu Language Curriculum at the schools there. “Based on discussions and consultations with the stakeholders, we initiated the development of the Bantawa Language Curriculum to teach the Bantawa language in the areas (schools) where their number is dominant,” Chairman Rai added.

He said that the task force has already advanced its job. The taskforce comprises the Headmaster of Jiban Jyoti Secondary School, Madan Kumar Rai, teachers Udaya Rai, Sakuntala Rai and Ambika Prasad Rai, and former teacher Gunja Kumar Rai. Likewise, Education Officer Yubraj Khanal is also a member of the task force led by Headmaster Madan Kumar.

The local community has appreciated the move of the rural municipality since this was a constitutionally enshrined right. Central Assistant General Secretary of Kiran Rai Yoyokhha Krishna Kumar Rai said, “We have taken this positively.” He added that his organization will extend positive support to implement the decision.

As per the National Population and Housing Census 2021, the population of the Limbu community is 42.83 per cent and 33.6 per cent of the Rai community in Mangsebung Rural Municipality.