Multilingual Education in Abkhazia: Challenges and Opportunities

Type: Text

Title: Multilingual Education in Abkhazia

Subtitle: Challenges and Opportunities

Creator: Rustam Anshba

DOI: 10.15457/cp_1_197-208

Date of Publication: 19.02.2018

License: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Language: English

Availability: Download

Description: Language education in conflict-affected regions can become a tool not only of segregation but also for positive changes, especially in ethnically and linguistically diverse societies such as Abkhazia. Mother Tongue Based Multilingual Education (MTB MLE) has proven itself a very effective education model that can preserve linguistic diversity, as a cornerstone of identity formation of respective ethnic groups, and promote social inclusion. This paper analyses the current challenges of the education system, which is not fully addressing the linguistic diversity of Abkhazia. Based on own work experience of the author in the field of MTB MLE, this research explores challenges and opportunities in relation to how to improve the existing model of multilingual education in order to ensure a high level of academic and linguistic results throughout all of the ethnic groups. The author argues that MTB MLE in Abkhazia has a great deal of potential and can contribute to overcoming many existing challenges and linguistic and ethnic tensions within society.

Geographical Area: Abkhazia, Georgia, South Caucasus

Keywords: language education, mother tongue education, multilingual education, Abkhazia

Structured recordings: Relitz, Sebastian (ed.): Obstacles and Opportunities for Dialogue and Cooperation in Protracted Conflicts. Regensburg: Leibniz Institute for East and Southeast European Studies (IOS), 2018. ISBN: 978-3-945232-01-9. http://doi.org/10.15457/cp_1.

Citation: Anshba, Rustam (2018): Multilingual Education in Abkhazia: Challenges and Opportunities. Version: 1. Leibniz Institute for East and Southeast European Studies (IOS). Text. http://doi.org/10.15457/cp_1_197-208.