The value of Bama-saga: minorities within minorities’ views in Shan and Rakhine States

Research across Myanmar’s ethnic states has shown that large and well organised non-dominant ethnic groups such as the Mon, Karen, Shan and Kachin would prefer Myanmar’s education system to offer MTB-MLE so that their children are able to start education in the mother tongue. This article engages with some of the overlooked voices of minorities within non-dominant ethnic groups relating their views on language, education, and Language of Instruction (LoI) and how this shapes their relationship both with other more dominant ethnic and linguistic groups as well as the ruling Burman majority. Using the Language Vitality Framework (Giles, Bourhis, and Taylor 1977), the article argues that while the minorities within non-dominant ethnic groups consulted work hard to preserve their language, they want Burmese to remain the LoI in order for their children to be able to get jobs and lift their families and communities out of poverty. Although much still needs to be done beyond language, the groups consulted believed that Burmese provides communities in multi-ethnic, multi-lingual settings with a level playing field they feel is fairer, than if Burman linguistic domination was replaced with another non-dominant language. These communities want multi-lingual local teachers who can explain the Burmese textbooks to their children.