Inspired by the directive of the Education Ministers during the 43rd SEAMEO Council Conference in March 2008, senior education officials and representatives from the SEAMEO Member Countries shared and discussed various exemplars of using the mother tongue as bridge language of instruction in teaching and learning during the Regional Meeting on the Dissemination of Project Results and Identification of Good Functioning Models in the Use of Mother Tongue in Instruction on 24-26 February 2009 in Bangkok, Thailand.

At the 43rd SEAMEO Council Conference, the SEAMEO Education Ministers approved and took note of the progress of the SEAMEO-World Bank Project on Mother Tongue as Bridge Language of Instruction in Southeast Asian Countries: Policy, Strategies and Advocacy. They recommended that the Project must go beyond policy discussions but should also focus on the process, strategies adopted and methodologies; and that good functioning models are identified.

In addition to the advocacy of the major project outputs, the meeting therefore aimed at identifying working models in the use of the learner’s first language or mother tongue as bridge medium of instruction. This is believed to help address various educational issues such as quality of learning outcomes, access to learning and high drop-out rate. Essentially, the initiative is targeted at contributing to the achievement of the Education for All goals.

At the meeting, country participants shared existing pilot programmes and initiatives on how the first language is used as a medium of instruction in early years of education and literacy. They illustrated how the transition to a second or the national language takes place using the local language of the learners.

The meeting identified models and assessed their viabilities for adoption and adaptation. Among the good practices shared at the meeting were the use of both Thai and Pattani Malay in teaching and learning in southern provinces of Thailand, the use of lingua franca or the commonly spoken language of a region in 16 provinces in the Philippines, the bilingual literacy programme for Khmou minority in Lao PDR, the use of Sundanese in Indonesian classrooms, the Mon-Thai bilingual programme among the Mon communities in central Thailand, the mother tongue-based literacy programme for Bahnar Group in Vietnam; and the bilingual programme among various ethnic groups in Cambodia.

Moreover, Brunei Darussalam, Singapore and Malaysia provided information on the status of bilingual and multilingual education in their respective countries.

The country participants expressed enthusiasm for further collaboration with SEAMEO and other fellow Southeast Asian countries in the areas of advocacy, research and information exchange.

The SEAMEO Secretariat organized the meeting with support from the World Bank. It was attended by 34 senior education officials from Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor Leste and Vietnam; and 18 representatives from international non-governmental organizations including CARE Cambodia, International Cooperation Cambodia, Mahidol University, Save the Children, UNESCO Bangkok, UNESCO Hanoi, UNICEF, the World Bank and SIL International. Three SEAMEO Centres were also represented, namely SEAMEO INNOTECH, SEAMEO RELC and SEAMEO SPAFA.

Participants and guests in a group photo. Seated from left to right are Dr Kimmo Kosonen, Consultant in Multilingual Education, SIL International; Mr Cidalio Leite, Deputy Director General, Ministry of Education, Timor Leste; Mr Hameed A Hakeem, Education Advisor and Coordinator, APPEAL, UNESCO Bangkok; Dato’ Dr Ahamad bin Sipon, Director, SEAMEO Secretariat; Ms Deborah Bateman, Country Programme Coordinator, World Bank, Bangkok Office; H E Mdm Ton Sa Im, Under Secretary of State, Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, Cambodia; Dr Haili bin Dolhan, Deputy Director General (Policy and Education Development), Ministry of Education, Malaysia; Ms Omporn Regel, Senior Operations Officer, World Bank; Ms Catherine Young, Multilingual Education Consultant, SIL International/Asia, SIL Bangladesh, Prof Suwilai Premsrirat, Director, Centre for Documentation and Revitalization of Endangered Languages and Cultures, Institute of Language and Culture for Rural Development, Mahidol University; Dr Tinsiri Siribodhi, Deputy Director for Administration and Communication, SEAMEO Secretariat; and Dr Neou Sun, Officer, Pedagogical Research Department, Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, Cambodia.

Country representatives share good examples of using the first language or mother tongue to facilitate teaching and learning in various contexts.

Officials from SEAMEO Member Countries and representatives from partner international non-governmental organizations discuss the basic principles of the different models of using the mother tongue as bridge language of instruction in Southeast Asia.

Dato’ Dr Ahamad bin Sipon, Director SEAMEO Secretariat and Ms Deborah Bateman, Country Programme Coordinator and Acting Country Director for Southeast Asia, World Bank, Bangkok Office welcome the participants and emphasize the importance of the meeting.

Mr Hameed A Hakeem, Education Advisor and Coordinator, APPEAL, UNESCO Bangkok delivers a speech to commemorate the International Mother Language Day.