The educational life of over a hundred indigenous children in Dighinala upazila has been threatened with uncertainty allegedly due to setting up of a battalion headquarters by the BGB on the lands belonging to indigenous peoples. Government’s decision to set up the Science and Technology University and a Medical College in Rangamati, despite mass opposition, has generated fear of losing lands among indigenous peoples of Rangamati. Government’s plan to kick off mother tongue based Multilingual Education (MLE) for indigenous children have failed to make any headway even after the end of nearly two years. Government claims that this stalemate is due to lack of budget to implement the plan.
On the contrary, 280 indigenous candidates of 34th batch of BCS, who were left out in the revised results of preliminary test published in 2013, won the right to sit for written exams after a High Court directive in February 2014.
The Transfer of secondary education to the three Hill District Councils, (HDC) in May 2014, generated a new hope for positive change in secondary education of underprivileged indigenous communities in the CHT.
The government has taken an initiative to conduct a survey on the languages of indigenous peoples in Bangladesh with the intent to revitalise and preserve the indigenous languages at risk. Ministry of Education through International Mother Language Institute has started to implement this project since early 2014.
CHT Accord of 1997: Present state and challenges of its implementation
This year marks the conclusion of 17 years since the signing of the CHT Accord in 1997 between the Government of Bangladesh and the PCJSS. Since Awami League-led grand alliance took over power in 2009, the 6th year of its continuation in power if taken into account the previous five years of its office at the centre, it has not taken any step towards implementation of the core issues of the Accord, which could have been a milestone for the government.
The government keeps on claiming that altogether 48 out of 72 sections of the CHT Accord have been implemented and 15 sections out of the rest have been partially implemented, while the remaining 9 sections are under the process of implementation. In fact, the said statement of the government is not true on the whole. As per the observation of the PCJSS, only 25 out of 72 sections of the CHT Accord were implemented so far. 34 sections of the Accord still remain totally un-implemented; while13 sections had been partially implemented. It means that two-third of the sections of the CHT Accord still await implementation.
After forming new government on 12 January 2014, the Government took few initiatives for implementation of the CHT Accord, such as,
(1) transfer of 5 subjects/department to the HDCs;
(2) enactment of CHT Development Board Act 2014 despite reservation of the CHT Regional Council; passage of three Hill District Council (Amendment) Acts 2014 ignoring the advice of the CHT Regional Council and amid popular protest against these amendment bills;
(3) Holding of a meeting of Task Force on Rehabilitation of Returnee Refugees and Internally Displaced Families; and
(4) Holding of two meetings for amendment of the CHT Land Disputes Resolution Commission Act 2001.
Unity in diversity should be the ultimate
Bangladesh has been blessed with its multicultural heritage and history and we need to nourish and preserve these precious belongings for our identity and pride. We need to come forward for establishing a just society where there will be no discriminations and violation of human rights irrespective of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth.
Diversity in culture is a beauty of a country and the government should take of them. It would be the great-heart-ness of our government to accept and recognize the identity of the indigenous people. We should remember that these people also shed their blood for our freedom and independence.
The following recommendations can contribute greatly to improve the overall situation of the indigenous people in our country and can make a free and fair atmosphere for coexistence:
1) To form a separate land commission for indigenous peoples in the plains to facilitate restoration of their dispossessed lands.
2) To stop communal violence and physical abuse against indigenous women and girls and to conduct judicial inquiries in to the communal violence and abuses against indigenous women.
3) To provide constitutional recognition to the indigenous peoples as per international human rights instruments ratified by the Government of Bangladesh.
4) To conduct investigation into the human rights violations against indigenous peoples by the National Human Rights Commission regularly.
5) Expedite legal aid support for the indigenous people at their doorstep. There could be diversity among the inhabitants in the universe but in one point we stand united all together because we are human beings. God created us for this world. n
(Nicholas Biswas is a Team Leader of Light House and now leading a UKAID supported ‘Community Legal Services (CLS)’ programme in Rajshahi division)
On the contrary, 280 indigenous candidates of 34th batch of BCS, who were left out in the revised results of preliminary test published in 2013, won the right to sit for written exams after a High Court directive in February 2014.
The Transfer of secondary education to the three Hill District Councils, (HDC) in May 2014, generated a new hope for positive change in secondary education of underprivileged indigenous communities in the CHT.
The government has taken an initiative to conduct a survey on the languages of indigenous peoples in Bangladesh with the intent to revitalise and preserve the indigenous languages at risk. Ministry of Education through International Mother Language Institute has started to implement this project since early 2014.
CHT Accord of 1997: Present state and challenges of its implementation
This year marks the conclusion of 17 years since the signing of the CHT Accord in 1997 between the Government of Bangladesh and the PCJSS. Since Awami League-led grand alliance took over power in 2009, the 6th year of its continuation in power if taken into account the previous five years of its office at the centre, it has not taken any step towards implementation of the core issues of the Accord, which could have been a milestone for the government.
The government keeps on claiming that altogether 48 out of 72 sections of the CHT Accord have been implemented and 15 sections out of the rest have been partially implemented, while the remaining 9 sections are under the process of implementation. In fact, the said statement of the government is not true on the whole. As per the observation of the PCJSS, only 25 out of 72 sections of the CHT Accord were implemented so far. 34 sections of the Accord still remain totally un-implemented; while13 sections had been partially implemented. It means that two-third of the sections of the CHT Accord still await implementation.
After forming new government on 12 January 2014, the Government took few initiatives for implementation of the CHT Accord, such as,
(1) transfer of 5 subjects/department to the HDCs;
(2) enactment of CHT Development Board Act 2014 despite reservation of the CHT Regional Council; passage of three Hill District Council (Amendment) Acts 2014 ignoring the advice of the CHT Regional Council and amid popular protest against these amendment bills;
(3) Holding of a meeting of Task Force on Rehabilitation of Returnee Refugees and Internally Displaced Families; and
(4) Holding of two meetings for amendment of the CHT Land Disputes Resolution Commission Act 2001.
Unity in diversity should be the ultimate
Bangladesh has been blessed with its multicultural heritage and history and we need to nourish and preserve these precious belongings for our identity and pride. We need to come forward for establishing a just society where there will be no discriminations and violation of human rights irrespective of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth.
Diversity in culture is a beauty of a country and the government should take of them. It would be the great-heart-ness of our government to accept and recognize the identity of the indigenous people. We should remember that these people also shed their blood for our freedom and independence.
The following recommendations can contribute greatly to improve the overall situation of the indigenous people in our country and can make a free and fair atmosphere for coexistence:
1) To form a separate land commission for indigenous peoples in the plains to facilitate restoration of their dispossessed lands.
2) To stop communal violence and physical abuse against indigenous women and girls and to conduct judicial inquiries in to the communal violence and abuses against indigenous women.
3) To provide constitutional recognition to the indigenous peoples as per international human rights instruments ratified by the Government of Bangladesh.
4) To conduct investigation into the human rights violations against indigenous peoples by the National Human Rights Commission regularly.
5) Expedite legal aid support for the indigenous people at their doorstep. There could be diversity among the inhabitants in the universe but in one point we stand united all together because we are human beings. God created us for this world. n
(Nicholas Biswas is a Team Leader of Light House and now leading a UKAID supported ‘Community Legal Services (CLS)’ programme in Rajshahi division)
