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UNESCO report, titled "Languages Matter: Global Guidance on Multilingual Education," released on the 25th anniversary of International Mother Language Day, highlights the impact of language barriers on global education outcomes
Linguistic Diversity and Education
Multilingual education is essential for creating inclusive and effective learning environments.
Linguistic diversity is growing globally due to migration and historical factors like colonialism.
Educational policies must adapt to the linguistic needs of students.
Key Highlights of the UNESCO Report on Language
40% of the global population lacks access to education in a language they speak or understand.
In low- and middle-income countries, this percentage rises to 90%, affecting over 250 million learners.
Migration is increasing linguistic diversity, with over 31 million displaced youth facing language barriers in education.
Many post-colonial nations continue to use non-native languages as the medium of instruction.
Local languages remain undervalued in formal education, disadvantageing native speakers.
Immigration has led to linguistically diverse classrooms, especially in high-income countries.
These countries struggle with language acquisition support, inclusive curricula, and fair assessments.
Policy responses vary, some countries promote bilingual education, while others prioritize quick immersion in the dominant language.
Despite growing awareness, challenges like limited teacher capacity, lack of materials, and community opposition hinder the adoption of multilingual education.
The report calls for context-specific language policies and curriculum adjustments.
Support for teacher training, multilingual materials, and inclusive learning environments.
Focus on fostering inclusion through school leadership and community collaboration.
How Has India’s Linguistic Landscape Evolved?
Prehistoric Times: While human habitation in India predates Sanskrit, no written records exist from prehistoric times, making it difficult to reconstruct early languages.
Indus Valley Civilization: The Indus script (2600–1900 BCE) remains undeciphered, making it unclear whether it represents an early form of Dravidian, Indo-Aryan, or another language family.
Writing appeared in India 24 centuries ago, mainly through inscriptions and manuscripts.
Sanskrit and Prakrits: Sanskrit emerged as a dominant literary and scholarly language, while Prakrits (a group of vernacular classical Middle Indo-Aryan languages) coexisted with it.
Tamil: Tamil developed as an independent classical language, with the Sangam literature (3rd century BCE – 3rd century CE) marking its rich literary tradition.
Influence of Foreign and Regional Languages:
With the spread of Islamic rule, Persian and Arabic influenced Indian languages, leading to linguistic amalgamations like Urdu.
Over the last 5,000 years, India absorbed languages like Avestan, Austro-Asiatic, Tibeto-Burman, and Indo-Aryan, creating a rich linguistic legacy.
The Dravidian languages (Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam) and Tibeto-Burman languages of the Northeast flourished with regional literature and administrative use.
Printing Revolution: The use of paper and later printing transformed literacy, leading to mass production of books in regional languages.
Post-Colonial Language Shift:
English became a language of administration, education, and economic opportunity under British rule.
As English gained prominence, Persian declined in administration and Sanskrit remained confined to religious and scholarly use.
Emergence of Modern Indian Languages: Regional languages like Hindi, Tamil, Bengali, Kannada, Marathi, and Telugu gained literary and political recognition.
Languages in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution see higher speaker numbers, whereas languages not included face decline.
Many languages spoken by Adivasi communities, especially from the Austro-Asiatic and Tibeto-Burman families, face extinction due to demographic shifts.
Despite the rise of print capitalism and digital technology, the growth of English poses a challenge to Indian languages, especially in urban areas.
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