International Mother Language Day-2021 (Feb 21), coordinated by UNESCO, is being observed with the theme "Fostering multilingualism for inclusion in education and society".
The two-fold purpose of the observance is as follows
To enhance awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity
To promote multilingualism
According to UNESCO, languages are the most powerful instruments of preserving and developing our tangible and intangible heritage and deliberate efforts are needed to be made to promote the dissemination of mother tongues across the globe.
Here are the ABCs of significance of mother tongue instruction in early years advocated by educators and researchers
ABC POEM
A: Acceptance and respect for local context of socio-cultural environment of place and people to make learning relevant in formative years
B: Building base for cognitively sound education leading to development of thinking skills
C: Creation of culturally linked learning environment to create identity aspect of personality of the child leading to his or her accommodation and inclusion
D: development of learning material in local dialects of the community required for effective and efficient brain development of the children in early education
E: Experiments and researches in development psychology inform that early primary education in mother tongue provides joy of learning due to absence of language development gaps and promotion of active learning
The experiments under Eklavaya, Lok Jumbish, CULP, Disha Projects have shown that mother tongue education of a few years with transition to the medium of instruction of a standard language leads to better learning outcomes.
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