Midwest Conference of the CIES.

Intercultural education and sustainable development in the Indian Trans-Himalaya/Kashmir.

The topics presented on the conference were really very interesting and informative. i have learned a lot. I attended different topics and I was more interested with the presentation of Payal P. Shah, who presented the intercultural system in education in Ladakhi. There was massification of national system of education replacing locally based village education by non-Ladakhi people. The language used was Urdu, non-Ladakhi teachers only at school, failure of 95% of Ladakhi students because of language and colonization. Ladakhi people were not happy about that and they thought of making change in the system by all means because of their children. In 1988, Ladakhi cultural movement against that system was founded to reform the educational system to make it more locally effective and relevant. The movement mobilized many sectors in the area to support the idea of the reform in education for the interest of the Ladakhi children and promote their language as well as protecting their identity as Ladakhis.

At the long run, the movement succeeded and become very powerful, providing opportunities for critical engagement with environmental and sustainable development issues in the face of globalization. Ladakhi people managed to make their own curriculum with their language such that children learn about not only others cultures but Ladakhi cultures, history, arts and etc. finally Ladakhi & non-Ladakhi were able to get engage in conversation and reflections that enable them to critically consider which culture to be consider and which to be decolonized. They become simultaneously recognizing & engaging with forces of collaboration while maintaining their cultures and language. what about that? don't you think it could also help in South Sudan regarding the uprising issues of language of instruction? what about ignoring differences of languages peacefully and come up with a common language for all?