Johannesburg - International Mother Language Day is observed annually on February 21 to encourage cultural diversity and multilingualism.
The day recognises the essence of the mother language in culture, identity and heritage.
This year’s commemoration takes place under the theme “Multilingual education: a necessity to transform education”, as declared by Unesco.
The Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB), in collaboration with the Department of Basic Education, also commemorated International Mother Language Day at the Ranch Resort near Polokwane in Limpopo.
This forms part of the institution’s continued efforts to promote the use of the mother tongue and the furtherance of multilingualism in the country.
According to Unesco, children who learn in their mother tongue are more likely to succeed in school and have better cognitive development. Despite the benefits of learning in one’s mother tongue, 40% of the world’s population cannot access education in a language they speak and understand. In South Africa, a focus on only two out of 11 official languages has left many learners at a disadvantage, as seen in the recent 2030 Reading Panel Background Report.
According to Dr Benadette Aineamani, product and services director at Maskew Miller Learning, although South Africa is known as a cultural melting pot and boasts 11 official languages, throughout history there has been an almost exclusive focus on English and Afrikaans learning materials, leaving hundreds of thousands of learners at a disadvantage.
“Focusing solely on two out of 11 languages has, without a doubt, left many learners on the outside of our education system. What makes their mother tongue less important?”
“This International Mother Language Day, let’s remember that promoting multilingual education is an active and important step towards promoting educational equity and helping learners reach their full potential. And this is particularly true in a diverse country such as ours,” Aineamani said.
Local educational publishing company Maskew Miller Learning (MML) is one of the organisations actively advocating for multilingual education in South Africa.
“As a 100% South African-owned learning company, we understand the market and can help address the challenges head-on. This includes the eminent reading crisis and the need for multilingualism in schools,” she said.
The Star