How important is it to adapt teaching practices, including language, to local culture and values?
This is crucial. The intellectual development of children is very much linked to the language they speak. If they are taught in their mother tongue, then their intelligence develops, if they have to learn in a tongue which they don’t understand, their development is constrained. It is very important to adopt the language of the village in rural areas. Often this doesn’t happen because countries have many languages and it is easier to use the official one. Q: Is there a difference between school attendance by girls and boys? Why? A: Girls are usually less likely to attend school than boys. The reasons are both practical – often parents cannot afford the costs of fees, books and materials – and cultural – girls are expected to undertake domestic duties, look after their siblings or are not encouraged to study. According to recent figures from India, for example, 17.3 percent of girls said they had stopped going to school because they were needed to work at home. Some parents worry that a
