H. Dawary
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- Sep 4, 2019
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My ideal scenario for my Pashtun people would be that my language Pashto becomes the primary means of communication in all spheres of life. I want to see scientific books published in Pashto. I want Pashtun kids to get their education in their mother tongue. Scientific research shows that kids learn better in their mother tongue especially when starting out. In Afghanistan, that's already the case in Pashtun areas but still more needs to be done. In Farah province which is 80% Pashtun, the medium is still Farsi. In KPK the situation is really bad. The medium of education is in Urdu and English. Pashto has been relegated to a spoken language. A language can't thrive unless it is being actively usdd in all spheres of life. I am sure it's the same with other regional languages of Pakistan. It's a shame that speaking regional languages has become a sign of backwardness and lack of education.
This one is a big one for me, and in Afghanistan it cuts both ways.
For example in bank notes and legal tender as well as product labels are also in Pashto, they should also be in Farsi... Here in Canada every label is written in English and French despite French being spoken in one Province (Quebec), whereas universities in Afghanistan are taught in Farsi but not Pashto and Farsi. There’s also the national anthem, we don’t have a national anthem in Farsi only in Pashto why can’t we have both? Also I don’t like Pashto words replacing Farsi and Farsi words replacing Pashto words like Daneshga shouldn’t have to be panthoon and the days of the week shouldn’t have to be pronounced in Farsi when we have a Pashto version of it.
This irks me very much because on one hand the Pashto language is being sidelined and on the other the Farsi language is being sidelined. I want both my native languages promoted in their own way on a national level. I want scientific books to be written in both languages, that goes for literature, mathematics, and every other curriculum.
In Afghanistan we should also teach English and Urdu but they must not replace our national languages, and such languages should be taught as advanced learning for those who are motivated to communicate with neighboring nations and the world.