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With a new global education agenda that prioritizes quality, equity and lifelong learning for all, it is essential to encourage full respect for the use of mother language in teaching and learning, and to promote linguistic diversity. Yet in many countries, a large number of children are taught and take tests in languages that they do not speak at home, hindering the early acquisition of critically important reading and writing skills. As much as 40% of the global population does not have access to education in a language they speak or understand.

Moreover, education policies seldom reflect linguistic diversity. The GEM Report review of 40 countries’ education plans finds that only less than half of them recognize the importance of teaching children in their home language, particularly in early grades. Language of instruction policy can hold the key to making education more inclusive for disadvantaged groups. Sustained use of the first or home language as a medium of instruction for at least six years of schooling has been highlighted as a way to improve student performance in language skills and other subjects.

The challenges are most prevalent in regions where linguistic diversity is greatest such as in Asia and the Pacific and sub-Saharan Africa. Indeed, about 6,000-7,000 languages are spoken in the world today, 5,700 are endangered, and 61% of those minority languages are found in the Asia-Pacific region. Thus, expansion of access to Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) has been increasingly promoted and recognized as part of the Education for All (EFA) process in this area. To support countries in strengthening their education systems in planning, financing and implementing MTB MLE, UNESCO Bangkok strengthens capacity in developing and implementing language in education policies and deepening understanding of language of instruction issues in the education sector by addressing the broad spectrum of issues involved in the field of MTB MLE.

As for western Africa, in many school systems, French continues to be the main language of instruction, so the vast majority of children are taught from the early grades in a language with which they have limited familiarity. This seriously hampers their chances of learning. To provide culturally appropriate Education programs UNESCO Dakar promotes mother tongue-based bilingual or multilingual approaches in education - an important factor for inclusion and quality in education.

Teacher education programmes also need to support teachers to be able to teach early reading skills in more than one language and to use local language materials effectively. Teachers should have a good understanding of the linguistic and cultural backgrounds of children, language development, and the interdependence of mother tongue and second-language development, and the use of appropriate teaching practices. In Senegal, only 8%, and in Mali, only 2% of trained teachers expressed confidence about teaching in local languages. UNESCO Dakar works together with The International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa (IICBA) to address the educational, technical and professional needs of the region in teacher development.

The office also provides normative frameworks for language policy and education and shares good practices in bilingual and multilingual education and mother tongue instruction.

To download the Global Education Monitoring (GEM) click here

GEM policy paper 24: If you don’t understand, how can you learn?

UNESCO Bangkok Multilingual Literacy programme

IICBA Teacher Policy Development (TPD) and Capacity Building

Role of UNESCO Dakar in Literacy and non-formal education