Speaking up to save Bangladesh s indigenous languages from dying
About 45 indigenous groups with an estimated population of three million have distinct languages and cultures
Bangladesh s indigenous languages are under threat and some could die without positive action to preserve them.
Catholic and ethnic community leaders have called on authorities to protect several indigenous languages that face extinction due to a lack of government support and community efforts.
The call was made as people, irrespective of faith and ethnicity in Bangladesh and across the globe, marked the United Nations-designated International Mother Language Day on Feb. 21.
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Fr Peixotto passed away at the age of 87 on February 4.
The American priest who came to erstwhile East Pakistan in 1962 had been a science teacher at Notre Dame College for 34 years. He served as its principal for 24 years. Since 2014, Fr Peixotto held the post of treasurer of Notre Dame University Bangladesh.
Archbishop of Dhaka s Metropolitan Archdiocese Bejoy Nicephorus D Cruze said, We re saddened and encumbered at his sudden passing.
Jyoti F Gomes, director at St Joseph International School, said the former principal used to offer free accommodation to poor boys from rural areas at Martin Hall boys hostel at the college and helped them make their mark in society.
American missionary and educator dies in Bangladesh
Holy Cross Father Joseph Stephen Peixotto served his adopted country for six decades
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Holy Cross missionary Father Joseph Peixotto served in Bangladesh for nearly 60 years. (Photo supplied)
Bangladesh is mourning a prominent American Catholic missionary who made outstanding contributions to the country’s education sector for about six decades.
Holy Cross Father Joseph Stephen Peixotto died at Moreau House, the Holy Cross priests’ residence, in capital Dhaka on Feb. 4. He was 87.
Father Peixotto had tested positive for Covid-19 about a month ago, recovered and returned to the residence.
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Digital divide forces poor Bangladeshi students out of school
Poverty and lack of technology lead to drop-outs as students work to support their families
Thousands of students in Bangladesh are feared to have dropped out of school due to the problems caused by Covid-19. (Photo: Stephan Uttom/UCA News)
Subol Sarker was a regular seventh-grade student at Dashuria High School in Bangladesh s Pabna district before Covid-19 forced the school to close indefinitely in March last year.
Ten months on, the 14-year-old Hindu boy has dropped out of the school after being completely detached from formal education. He has become a daily wage earner to support his poor family.