The year 2015 marks the 15th anniversary of International Mother Language Day - also a turning point year for the international community - as it is the deadline for the Millennium Development Goals, when countries will define a new global sustainable development agenda.
The focus for the post-2015 agenda must fall on the priority of advancing quality education for all -- widening access, ensuring equality and inclusiveness, and promoting education for global citizenship and sustainable development, said director-general of UNESCO Irina Bokova, on the occasion of the International Mother Language Day, (February 21), in a message, released by the UN information center in Tehran.
“This day is a moment for everyone to raise the flag for the importance of mother language to all educational efforts, to enhance the quality of learning and to reach the unreached,” she said.
Education in the mother language is an essential part of achieving these goals -- to facilitate learning and to bolster skills in reading, writing and mathematics. Taking this forward requires a sharper focus on teaching training, revisions of academic programs and the creation of suitable learning environments.
