{jcomments on}The International Mother Tongue Day or Matribhasha Diwas is observed every year on February 21 to promote awareness of linguistic, cultural diversity and multilingualism around the world. The idea to celebrate International Mother Language Day first came from Bangladesh. It was approved at the 1999 UNESCO General Conference and it is being observed throughout the world since 2000.
The theme for this year’s celebration is “fostering Multilingualism for Inclusion in Education and Society.” In this year, special attention is being paid to multilingual education from early childhood so that for children, their mother tongue would always be an asset.
Linguistic diversity is increasingly being threatened more and more languages are going into extinction. Globally, 40 per cent of the population does not have access to education of language they speak or even understand. Nevertheless, progress is being made in mother tongue-based multilingual education with growing understanding of its importance, particularly in early schooling, and more commitment to its development in public life.
Multilingual and multicultural societies exist through their languages which transmit and preserve traditional knowledge and cultures in a sustainable way. Sequel to this, at Premiere Academy Lugbe. We pay attention to all the major languages in Nigeria and ensure we instill in our students the importance of their mother tongue as their first identity.