2024-02-21 06:47:36
It is believed that expressing one’s feelings in the mother tongue is more effective. We learn our mother tongue from birth, which is very helpful in understanding the world around us. It is now a well-accepted fact that those who receive education in their mother tongue generally perform better academically. UNESCO celebrates ‘World Mother Language Day’ every year on 21 February to promote linguistic and cultural diversity. UNESCO first announced this day on November 17, 1999. And it started being celebrated for the first time from February 21, 2000. Later in 2002, the United Nations General Assembly officially recognized it. Now this day is seen as an opportunity to create awareness on the issue of multilingualism and mother tongue.
According to a United Nations report on the world’s languages, approximately one of our languages disappears every two weeks. This is a cause for concern for all of us, because it poses a danger of cultures and traditions being lost forever. Unfortunately, 40 percent of the world’s population does not have access to basic education in a language they understand. This problem is actually related to the question of mother tongue, which has a negative impact on the education of poor children in particular.
‘World Mother Language Day’ is celebrated every year on a new theme. This year the theme is ‘Multilingual education as a pillar of intergenerational education.’ It emphasizes the importance and need of multilingual education throughout the world. World Mother Language Day supports the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 4.6, which aims to ensure that every youth and adult in the world can acquire basic literacy and numeracy skills.
The diversity of ancient and modern languages can be easily seen in India. It is an important part of the country’s national identity. The Government of India is paying special attention to teaching in Indian languages in schools and higher education. India’s National Education Policy 2020 aims to create a developmental education system by imparting education in Indian languages and promoting Indian knowledge system among the youth. It emphasizes the importance of using the child’s home language or mother tongue as the medium of instruction at least for Grade 5. The government is also committed to the protection and conservation of India’s endangered languages.
(The author is India’s Deputy Secretary General at the World Hindi Secretariat, Mauritius)
Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author’s own.