In a move to promote native language education, 30,534 students from indigenous communities, including Chakma, Marma, and Tripura, in the hill district of Rangamati, received textbooks in their mother tongues alongside standard curriculum books on Wednesday.

At a distribution event, held at Bonrupa Government Primary School, acting headteacher Sima Chakma handed over the books to students. Similar distributions were carried out across all ten upazilas of the district, ensuring every indigenous student received their books, according to the District Primary Education Office.

This year, a total of 69,221 textbooks were distributed among pre-primary and primary-level students. Among them were 7,635 pre-primary students, 7,610 first graders, 7,916 second graders, and 7,373 third graders. The books are part of an initiative that started in 2017, spearheaded by the Directorate of Primary Education to provide indigenous students with learning materials in their native languages.

The new textbooks brought joy and excitement to the indigenous students and their families. However, parents highlighted a lack of qualified teachers to teach these languages effectively.

"Our children have received books in their own language, which makes us very happy," said one parent. "But many schools still lack skilled teachers to teach these subjects. Learning our mother tongue is very important, especially since even we, as parents, struggle to speak and write it properly. This initiative is essential for preserving our cultural heritage."

District Primary Education Officer Hrishikesh Shil confirmed that all books for the academic year 2025 had been distributed successfully. He also mentioned ongoing training programs for teachers to enhance their ability to teach in indigenous languages.

"With support from the Hill District Council, we`ve initiated teacher training programs for mother tongue education," he said. "The training is nearing completion, and once finished, we`ll be able to deliver lessons in Chakma, Marma, and Tripura languages more effectively."