The Mother Tongue Institute is an institution under the Ministry of Education. Language researchers say that the institute has not been successful in carrying out research work on different languages of the country including Bengali. The institute does not have any significant work in the promotion and dissemination of Bengali language abroad. They say that a research institute cannot work and research independently if it is affiliated to the ministry.
However, the organization has organized an international seminar once a year on the occasion of the International Mother Language Day on 21st February. Apart from this, several national and international seminars have been organized at different times. In addition, the institute has established a mother tongue museum and archives of the world's writing system. However, there is less publicity about these.
According to the International Mother Tongue Institute Act of 2010, the institution has 23 responsibilities. These include taking necessary activities for the promotion and dissemination of Bengali language at home and abroad, language collection, preservation, conducting research and training activities in different countries and small nations of the world, conducting research-journal publications on language, organizing seminars and workshops, different languages and To build, preserve and manage an archive for the alphabet, to build a museum on language, to establish and operate an international standard library and research center. Linguists say some of these goals have been achieved. However, research on Bengali and other language movements and dissemination of related history among UNESCO member countries, research on the evolution of all languages of the world including Bengali, publication and updating of dictionaries or encyclopedias on different languages,
At the Mother Tongue Institute in November 2013, regional seminars and research work on the language situation of the country and the language situation of small ethnic groups started. In that year , a book entitled Introduction to the Language of Minorities: Moulvibazar was published. However, no other research has been published on the language identity of small ethnic groups in other districts.
Md. Is currently working as the director general of the institute. Belayet Hossain Talukder. Asked how far the mother tongue institute has gone in promoting Bengali language and why the progress of research is less, he said, "Since there is no director general here, I am doing some work to fill the gap." I came from the ministry. I am not the right person to give information. ' He suggested talking to the director about these issues.
The only big work is incomplete
The only major work of the Mother Tongue Institute in the last 11 years is anthropological scientific survey . The survey was started in 2013 to know the language situation of different communities in the country and the position of the language community. Its field work was completed in 2016. The government has spent 3 crore 21 lakh 33 thousand 98 rupees for this work. The plan was to complete the survey and publish it in 10 volumes in Bengali and 10 volumes in English. The first volume of the survey was prepared in book form in February 2016. The survey was to be inaugurated by the Prime Minister that year. However, it has not been officially published yet.
Speaking to officials at the Mother Tongue Institute, it is learned that work on the first part of the survey is still incomplete. Although the work of the linguistic part of that part has been completed, some work of the anthropological part remains. They also have no instructions as to when the first volume will be published after completion of the work.
If you want to know the director of the institute (language, research and planning) said. Shafiul Muz Nabin told Prothom Alo that there is still some work to be done in the first volume of the Anthropological Scientific Survey . After it is published in Bengali, it will be published in English. Not all of these manuscripts. Some manuscripts have arrived. However, more manuscripts of the ethnographic part remain to be made. He said: "We have not received any instructions on what to do after this scientific study. Then the work was done under the project. As a result, it was not published.
Professor Sourav Sikder of the Department of Linguistics, Dhaka University, worked as a consultant for the Anthropological Scientific Survey . He told Prothom Alo , “The work of the three-part linguistics section of the ethno-linguistic scientific study has been completed. For some unknown reason, the Mother Tongue Institute did not publish or translate them. I wanted to know from them but I did not get any clear explanation or good answer.
Seminars and publications are also irregular
The Mother Tongue Institute has conducted 19 international seminars and 28 national seminars from 2013 to 2021. These seminars are basically organized before or after the International Mother Language Day on 21st February. A memento was also published on the occasion of the day. Since its inception, the Mother Tongue Institute has published 11 memoirs of Ekushey.
The first mother tongue message was published from this institute in March 2013 . As of April-June 2021, 15 mother tongue messages have been published . It is supposed to be published every three months. However, each issue is published at intervals of three months to one year. Another publication of this organization is IMLI Newsletter . The first was published in 2015. The latest issue is July-September 2016. It is also supposed to be published every three months. However, only three issues have been published so far.
Matrubhasha Institute has bi-monthly research journal Matrubhasha Patrika . Six issues have been published from 2015 to 2020. In addition, another work of the Mother Tongue Institute is to publish the mother tongue in English every six consecutive months. Only two issues of this bi-monthly research journal have been published. It has not seen the light of day since December 2016.
Officials of the Mother Tongue Institute say that there is less research on language in the country and the number of researchers is less. These publications are delayed due to lack of good quality basic writing. A research policy has been formulated to emphasize basic writing and research activities. The policy has been approved by the Ministry of Education and is awaiting approval from the Ministry of Finance.
Director Shafiul Muz Naveen thinks that if the policy is approved, the scope and expansion of research and publishing work will increase.
What to do
On 17 November 1999, the United Nations declared February 21, the International Mother Language Day. Following this, the International Mother Language Institute Act was passed on 12 December 2012. One year ago, in mid-2011, the activities of Manpower Recruitment and Institute started. The manpower structure of the company has 96 approved posts including 16 first class officer posts. Speaking to officials, it is learned that the company had a manpower crisis in the first few years after its inception. With the recruitment of 20 people in the last two years, the crisis has eased a bit. At present the company has 60 officers and employees including 14 first class officers. From the financial year 2014-15 to the financial year 2020-21, the government has spent 21 crore 42 lakh 20 thousand 474 rupees in this organization.
Biswajit Ghosh, a linguist and former vice-chancellor of Rabindra University , told Prothom Alo that the mother tongue institute is committed to the preservation of the world's endangered and endangered languages, along with research and information technology. The only work of the institute in preserving the language of the small ethnic groups of the country has not been visible. The Institute has not been able to come close to the dream, aspiration and goal with which the Mother Tongue Institute was established.
This language researcher thinks that the mother tongue institute lacks skills and goodwill in language preservation and research. This institution is bureaucratic as it is controlled by the ministry. And the bureaucracy plays the role of regulator. The activities of the organization need to be strengthened with an integrated initiative. Because, the International Mother Tongue Institute has the opportunity to be recognized all over the world as an active institute in language research.
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