INTERNATIONAL MOTHER LANGUAGE DAY

Every child has a right to education, and for this right to be realized, the mode of instruction in terms of language in schools should be suitable for every child to comprehend lessons and achieve learning.

On 21st February 2023, the world commemorated the International Mother Language Day under the theme “multilingual education – a necessity to transform education”. In line with the theme, Panos Institute Southern Africa urges governments in the Southern African region to embrace a multilingual education system in which mother or indigenous languages, alongside official languages, are modes of instruction in schools. This is important to achieve inclusivity in the delivery of the right to education as it will help to avoid knowledge gaps and increase the speed of comprehension and learning for all children of different backgrounds and abilities. The system will also contribute to the promotion and preservation of all languages used by people in the region.