Through your esteemed e-paper I wish to draw the attention of all college staffs, in general, and the staff of Govt Girls Degree College, in particular, to a serious issue regarding the usage of language while teaching in class. We all know that district Chitral is a wide spread region where people of various cultural background live.

Although the language of majority is Khowar (Chitrali) but we can not deny the fact that there are also so many villages and valleys where people have their own languages and dialects . Some of them are completely different from Khowar. So when students from such areas join any college, they have only one language to communicate, i.e Urdu. They use Urdu even in hostels and other living areas till they learn Khowar. So for such students it is very hard to understand the lecture if it is given and explained in Khowar. Consequently such students are left behind in the very beginning of the course.

Thus, on behalf of such students it is requested to all the teaching staff of all colleges (in general) and the Govt Girls Degree College (in particular) to use Urdu as a medium of communication instead of the local language , Khowar. This will not only help the rural students to understand well but it will also improve the Urdu of all students. -- Sahir Ali, Chitral 13 Aug 2011

Comment 1

I fully agree with the writer. It is beyond understanding, which subject can be explained in khowar. As Khowar itself is so weak as language, that if someone try to compile Khowar dictionary , it may not go beyond 40 to 50 pages. Keeping in mind the limitations of khowar it looks almost impossible to use khowar as medium to explain any subject. We are handful people living in mountain terrains, speaking not only khowar, but there are 11 other languages, not dialects I would say (as these are not understood by every Chitrali) and are spoken in different valleys of Chitral.
I have noticed the women in Madaklasht valley can not speak khowar at all, with exception of very few. Same is problem for pushto speakers, and women from Ashrate area, Kalash and Shekhan Deh, where the women folk don’t understand khowar properly. Keeping in view these facts I think, what the student is requesting for, is genuine and the teachers must try to use Urdu as medium for teaching if it is not English. The students may complaint to higher ups of the department to get their problem resolved. -- Dr. Khalil (Jughooru), Hamilton  Canada, 13 Aug 2011.

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