The Future of Education

This paper reviews the background to education policies addressing minority language use in basic education in Nepal. The new Constitution 2015 states that every Nepali community living in Nepal has right to education up to the secondary level in their mother tongue and start and operates schools and educational institution and has the right to preserve and promote its language, script, culture, cultural civilization and heritage as provided in the law. Only 44.64% of the population use Nepali as their mother tongue, meaning over half of all Nepalese don’t speak Nepali as their first language (Census 2011).
This paper will make recommendations based upon the reported outcomes of the existing Multilingual Education projects. This includes the author’s own experience working with two different language speaking communities that support Multilingual Education projects primary schools in the Dangaura Tharu in Dang (population 500,000) and Limbu in Panchthar (population 343,603).
"When a language dies, something irreplaceable dies." [Ganesh N. Devy]
"Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunity." (Goal 4, SDGs 2015) "Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all level." (Goal 16, SDGs 2015)
Learners who begin their education in their mother tongue before transitioning to a second language will have better educational outcomes. This also provides a platform for them to not only improve their personal status but enables them to make a stronger contribute to the wider community for sustainable development of the country.
“Languages are essential to the identity of groups and individuals and to their peaceful coexistence. They constitute a strategic factor of progress towards sustainable development and a harmonious relationship between the global and the local context. Only if multilingualism is fully accepted can all languages find their place in our globalized world”. (former UNESCO Director-General, Mr Koïchiro Matsuura)
"The use of learners’ home language in the classroom promotes a smooth transition between home and school. It means learners get more involved in the learning process and speeds up the development of basic literacy skills. … In short, it leads to a better educational outcome." [Professor Angelina Kioko, 2016]
The qualitative change in the country's political, economic and social system, the education system has to be reformed and prepare citizen with positive attitude, constructive mindset and creative ideas. The system has to teach the importance and respect of work.

Keywords: multilingualism, policies, constitution, sustainable, identity;