Under the yearlong celebration title” Heritage is our Soul”, Panjim, Goa based Ganga Zuari Academy (GZA) in association with Directorate of Tourism, Goa, celebrated 24th International Mother Language Day (IMLD) on 19th February 2023 at Hotel Crescent, Miramar, Panjim, Goa.
On this auspicious occasion, compilation of thoughts of the already known facts about IMLD
On Feb 21, 1952, a meeting was held on the Dhaka University campus where students protested the ‘Urdu-only’ policy of the Pakistan government. The police opened fire in front of the medical college hostel where the students staged their demonstration. Five students were killed. The next day, thousands of men and women thronged the university, medical college and engineering college areas to offer prayers for the victims of the police firing. After prayers, the people began to protest and the police opened fire again. More people were killed the next day.
We often hear the names of five martyrs: Salam, Barkat, Rafiq, Jabbar and Shafiur. To find the names of other victims we have to turn to books written on the Language Movement. But, even after so many years, there is no complete list of martyrs. According to available information from Feb 21 and Feb 22, 1952, many people were killed in indiscriminate firing by government forces, but not all of them have been recognized.
Since then, Feb 21 is observed as ‘Shaheed Dibosh’ Divas (Martyrs Day or Language Movement Day).
In 1999, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) approved the idea of celebrating International Mother Language Day. ). UNESCO declared it “International Mother Language Day”.
According to the UNESCO website, the day was established on the initiative of Bangladesh and has been observed worldwide since 1999.
Multilingual education – a necessity to transform education
The theme of the 2023 International Mother Language Day, “Multilingual education – a necessity to transform education” aligns with recommendations made during the Transforming Education Summit, where an emphasis was also placed on Indigenous people’s education and languages. Multilingual education based on mother-tongue facilitates access to and inclusion in learning for population groups that speak non-dominant languages, languages of minority groups and indigenous languages.
This movement was organized by UNESCO on the occasion of the celebration of the 24th edition of IMLD (21 February).
Globally 40 per cent of the population does not have access to an education in a language they speak or understand. But progress is being made in multilingual education with growing understanding of its importance, particularly in early schooling, and more commitment to its development in public life.
International Mother Language Day recognizes that languages and multilingualism can advance inclusion, and promote the Sustainable Development Goals’ for all. UNESCO encourages and promotes multilingual education based on mother tongue or first language. It is a type of education that begins in the language that the learner masters most and then gradually introduce other languages. This approach enables learners whose mother tongue is different from the language of instruction to bridge the gap between home and school, to discover the school environment in a familiar language, and thus, learn better.
Multilingualism contributes to the development of inclusive societies that allow multiple cultures, worldviews and knowledge systems to coexist and cross-fertilize.
In many countries around the world where it is common practice to use more than one language in daily life, education takes place in multilingual contexts. Yet, many countries adopt monolingual systems of education and see multilingualism – the use of several languages within an area – as a challenge. Providing education in only one language that is not necessarily shared by all learners may impact negatively on learning performance, and the development of socio-emotional and foundational literacy skills.
Recognizing these challenges, the International Decade of Indigenous Languages was launched in 2022.
Indeed, transforming education through multilingual education based on mother tongue is a necessity in our fast-evolving global contexts. Today, learning environments are increasingly infused with technology and Artificial Intelligence. Crisis contexts, including emergency situations of refugees, migrants, internally displaced persons, as well as situations of linguistic and cultural diversity loss persist. Today, 25% of the world’s children live in conflict or disaster-stricken countries. In those contexts, the right to quality, equitable and inclusive education is not usually respected.
The protection of population groups who are excluded from education, such as ethnic minorities, indigenous peoples, girls and women. Under these frameworks, States have an obligation to respect, protect, and fulfil such a right by ensuring that education is not only available, but also acceptable, accessible, and adaptable. Part of the ‘acceptability’ component entails education that is culturally relevant and, according to the United Nations’ independent expert on minority issues, available in linguistic minorities’ mother tongue.
Potential of multilingual education
To address these challenges and needs, UNESCO has been advocating for the mainstreaming of multilingual education based on mother-tongue. It facilitates access to and inclusion in education for population groups that speak non-dominant languages, languages of minority groups and indigenous languages. Multilingual education enhances the quality of education by underlining the importance of cultural and linguistic diversity, the relevance of learning to learners’ lives, and mutual understanding.
Multilingual education increases dialogue and interaction among learners as well as between learners and teachers. It facilitates participation and action towards sustainable development by giving access to new knowledge and new cultural expressions, thus ensuring global as well as local interaction on traditional and indigenous issues.
The potential of multilingual education is enormous. However, implementation rarely takes place due multilingual education. to misconceptions surrounding multilingualism. Transforming education entails changing the perception of multilingualism, so that it is seen as an asset for learning in formal, informal and nonformal educational settings. There is growing evidence demonstrating the positive outcomes of International Mother Language Day 2023
The International Mother Language Day 2023 edition will explore the theme ‘multilingual education.’ It will explore and debate the potential of multilingualism to transform education from a lifelong learning perspective and in different contexts. It is shaped around the following three inter-connected themes:
- Enhancing multilingual education as a necessity to transform education in multilingual contexts from early childhood education and well beyond;
- Supporting learning through multilingual education and multilingualism in our fast-changing global contexts and in crisis situations including emergencies contexts;
- Revitalizing languages that are disappearing or are threatened with extinction.
UNESCO’s World Inequality Database on Education shows that, globally, children being taught in a language they speak at home are 30% more likely to read with understanding by the end of primary school than those who do not speak the language of instruction. Evidence also shows that learning in first language or mother tongue education improves children’s social skills.
To help fight the current global learning crisis, while preserving the linguistic diversity which is an essential cultural element, UNESCO urges governments to embrace multilingual education based on the mother tongue from the earliest years of schooling. We know it works – there is empirical evidence to prove it helps children learn.
Supporting Africa, the continent with the highest linguistic diversity
UNESCO particularly calls on the international community to support the African States in their actions to develop multilingual learning. A recent report from UNESCO, Born To Learn, shows that at most one in five children are taught in their mother tongue in Africa, the continent with the highest linguistic diversity. This is detrimental to learning outcomes on the continent, where only one in five pupils master the basics of reading, writing and mathematics even after completing primary school.
On Mother Language Day, UNESCO also reminds the world of the importance of safeguarding indigenous languages. At least 40% of the more than 6,700 languages spoken around the world are threatened with extinction in the long term, due to a lack of speakers
UNESCO leads the Indigenous Languages Decade 2022-2032, a ten-year action plan to draw the world’s attention to the critical loss of indigenous languages and the urgent need to preserve, revitalize and celebrate them.
Official Language in State of Goa
Konkani is the Official Language of Goa since 1987. The Official Language Act 1987 provided that Konkani shall be the Official Language whereas, Marathi shall be used for all or any of the official purposes. It also emphasized that Primary Education in Goa should be in Konkani.
(Source:www.un.org).
Bimalendu Dey
President, GZA