The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser Raja Debashis Roy said the indigenous (Adivasi) communities need constitutional recognition and commitment from the political parties to ensure their rights.

He was addressing as chief guest a roundtable meeting on "The Adivasi Students' Education" organised by Research and Development Collective (RDC) with support of Oxfam-GB, at the auditorium of Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) in Mohammadpur in the city yesterday.

The function was held as part of Global Action Week on Education from 21st to 27th April. This year the theme of the week is "Quality Education for All: End Exclusion Now."

Prof Mesbah Kamal presided over the roundtable. Columnist Syed Abul Maksud, former MP Pramod Mankin, also President of Tribal Welfare Association, and MB Akhtar, Acting Country Director of Oxfam-GB, addressed it as special guests, while Sayed Milki, Programme Communication Specialist, Education Department of UNICEF, Saiful Islam Shishir, Director (Education) of Ganoshastha Kendra and Mithal Chakma of Scholarship Associate of UNDP, among others, addressed.

Raja Debashis Roy said the Government was considering separate allocation in the next budget for development of the Adivasi communities in the country.

Accurate census of the Adivasi people should be conducted to know the exact number of indigenous people and the size of the communities in the country, he added.

He said participation of the Adivasi representatives would have to be ensured in the quota policy, adding that new quota system of the National University is not free from disparities.

Speakers urged to include the history and introduction of the Adivasi community in the textbooks of the educational institutions.

They said if Bangladesh wanted to ensure education for all by 2015 as per the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), it had to take steps to enrol Adivasi children in the primary schools.

Political parties should include the Adivasi issues in their manifestos, they demanded.

Sayed Milki informed that his organisation was working to translate the Mina Cartoon into three Adivasi languages-Chakma, Marma and Tripura- under a pilot project.

Shishir Khan, Director (Development), RDC, delivered the welcome speech.