International Mother Language Day is celebrated every year on February 21 globally to recognise and promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism. This year's International Mother Language Day is a call on policymakers, educators and teachers, parents and families to scale up their commitment to multilingual education, and inclusion in education to advance education recovery in the context of COVID-19. The theme for this year's International Mother Language Day celebration is “Fostering Multilingualism for Inclusion in Education and Society”.
“Every two weeks a language disappears taking with it an entire cultural and intellectual heritage. At least 43 per cent of the estimated 6,000 languages spoken in the world are endangered. Only a few hundred languages have genuinely been given a place in education systems and the public domain, and less than a hundred are used in the digital world,” a UN statement read.
“International Mother Language Day is observed every year to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism,” it added.
International Mother Language Day 2021 Theme
The theme for International Mother Language Day 2021 is “Fostering Multilingualism for Inclusion in Education and Society”. A UN statement said: “International Mother Language Day recognizes that languages and multilingualism can advance inclusion, and the Sustainable Development Goals' focus on leaving no one behind.”
It further added: “UNESCO [United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation] believes education, based on the first language or mother tongue, must begin from the early years as early childhood care and education is the foundation of learning.”
International Mother Language Day History
International Mother Language Day was proclaimed by the General Conference of UNESCO in November 1999. The UN General Assembly welcomed the proclamation of the day in its resolution of 2002.
International Mother Language Day Significance
“Today there is growing awareness that languages play a vital role in development, in ensuring cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue, but also in strengthening co-operation and attaining quality education for all, in building inclusive knowledge societies and preserving cultural heritage, and in mobilizing political will for applying the benefits of science and technology to sustainable development.” a UN statement on International Mother Language Day reads.
