The theme of the International Mother Language Day 2023 is “Multilingual Education – a necessity to transform education”. Here’s all you need to know about this day.
The International Mother Language Day is celebrated on February 21 every year to promote the preservation and protection of all languages used by people around the world. It encourages the linguistic and cultural diversity for the sustainable societies.
International Mother Language Day 2023:- History
International Mother Language Day was initiated by Bangladesh. In 1952, the people of Bangladesh (then Eastern Pakistan) raised the Bengali Language Movement. In 1948, the Pakistan government declared Urdu as the sole National language of Pakistan even though Bangla language was also used by the East Pakistan and West Pakistan. So, the East Pakistan people protested and demanded Bangla to be at least of the national languages.
On November 17, 1999 the UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) General Conference approved the International Mother Language Day. The first ever International Mother Language Day was observed throughout the world on February 21, 2000.
International Mother Language Day 2023:- Theme
Every year, a new theme is decided by the UNESCO on this day. The theme of International Mother Language Day 2023 is “Multilingual Education – a necessity to transform education“. The main objective of this theme is that the multilingual education is necessary to transform education.
International Mother Language Day 2023:- Significance
This day is the national holiday in Bangladesh. They celebrate this day by organising several programmes and events. Bangladeshis also celebrate it by placing flowers at the Shaheed Minar which commemorates the February 21, 1952 Bengali Language Movement demonstration.
UNESCO believes in the importance of cultural and linguistic diversity for sustainable societies. It is within its mandate for peace that it works to preserve the differences in cultures and languages that foster tolerance and respect for others.
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