The Santhali language, spoken by over a hundred thousand indigenous people in the upazilas of Hakimpur, Birampur, Nawabganj, and Ghoraghat, is on the verge of extinction as there are no textbooks in their distinctive dialect or teachers to impart it to their children. Children from such tribes as Santal, Urao, Mahali, Mahato, Khak, Humir and Muchi are being taught in Bangla, which is tough for most primary goers. They would be more interested in learning had the textbooks been in their mother language, said a teacher of the school. Roop Lal Tirki, president of Hakimpur's "Khudra Nri-Gosthhi Sarbik Gram Unnayan Samity, said:"Our languages are on the verge of extinction and even our children are forgetting our dialect for lack of practice". He demanded that the authorities take measures to save indigenous languages and ensure proper education for the children of indigenous families.

Source: Dhaka Tribune February 26, 2020 18:00 UTC