Minister of Education, Culture, Youth Affairs and Sports Hon. Patricia Lourens-Philip says Friday, 21 February marks International Mother Language Day.
(IMLD) has been celebrated every year since February 2000 to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism.
This year the theme of IMLD is "Mother tongue instruction and inclusive education."
The United Nations Educational, Scientific, Cultural Organization (UNESCO) highlights the importance of mother tongue as part of the right to education and encourages its member states to promote instruction and education in the mother tongue.
Speaking one’s mother language is a right that not everyone can take for granted, especially in places where local, mother tongues are threatened by more dominant languages.
Today, bilingual education programmes worldwide illustrate how discussions about mother languages must include the other languages.
The 30th session of the General Conference of UNESCO in 1999 decided that the Organization would launch and observe an IMLD on 21 February every year throughout the world.
The objective of the day is to promote linguistic diversity and multilingual education, and to develop fuller awareness of linguistic and cultural traditions based on understanding, tolerance and dialogue.
PHOTO CUTLINE: Minister Hon. Patricia Lourens-Philip.