The International Mother Language Day 2016 was observed across the globe including Pakistan on Sunday with its theme “Quality education, language(s) of instruction and learning outcomes”.
This underlines the importance of mother languages for quality education and linguistic diversity, to take forward the new 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
“Mother languages in a multilingual approach are essential components of quality education which itself is the foundation for empowering women and men and their societies,” said by Irina Bokova, the UNESCO Director General on the occasion of the day.
The International Mother Language Day was proclaimed by the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in November 1999 and proclaimed 2008 as the International Year of Languages, to promote unity in diversity and international understanding, through multilingualism and multiculturalism.
International Mother Language Day has been observed every year since February 2000 to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism.
Languages are the most powerful instruments of preserving and developing our tangible and intangible heritage.
In Pakistan the two-day Pakistan Mother Languages Literature Festival was held at Lok Virsa, Islamabad on Sunday which featured a variety of cultural activities in 15 to 20 languages also included discussions on languages, literature and culture, book launches, mother language symposiums, music events, audio- visual screenings and performances.
