Creating Books in Mother Tongues and Internatonal Literacy Day 2025 highlights

It's always good to see that around World Literacy Day extra articles are coming out to promote the value of literacy, and occasionally people will mention the value of the local languages. We have made a selection of some of the relevant ones related to the production of books.

On the 8th of September, International Literacy Day is observed across countries. But what special meaning could literacy hold for multilingual education in India? We will focus on a few efforts that show true literacy is not just about statistics, but about ensuring people can read, learn, and think in their own mother tongues. The creation of books and learning resources in local languages plays a vital role in this process, helping bridge the gap between literacy and inclusion. Let us look at three recent stories that highlight how such initiatives are strengthening multilingual education. Finally, we will take a quick glance at a few highlights of International Literacy Day from India and UNESCO.

1. Jharkhand’s Palash Programme

As we have reported before in Jharkhand, the state government has rolled out the Palash programme, which has developed textbooks and workbooks in five tribal languages: Santhali, Mundari, Kurukh, Kharia, and Ho. These resources are used in primary schools to help children learn in the language they speak at home. For tribal children, this step removes the barrier of starting school in an unfamiliar language, giving them confidence and stronger foundations in reading and writing.

This recent article from the Times of India highlights the work being done through this programme. To begin with these materials are used from Classes 1 to 5, helping children start learning in their home language before smoothly bridging to Hindi and English. Teachers are given special training to use these resources effectively, making lessons more inclusive and engaging. The programme also aligns with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which promotes mother tongue learning in early grades. By 2025, Palash had reached many schools, benefiting tribal students and ensuring they are not left behind due to language barriers.

2. AI Giving Voice to Tribal Languages

The International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad (IIITH), has developed AI-powered text-to-speech and translation tools for tribal languages such as Santali, Mundari, and Bhili, with Gondi and Telangana’s tribal tongues next in line. Built with recordings from native speakers, the tools give voice to the Centre’s Adi Vaani translator and can convert between English, Hindi, and Santali. IIITH aims to make NCERT books, health videos, and government schemes available in low-resource languages, ensuring tribal communities can access education and services in their mother tongue. Experts see this as a key step to preserve endangered languages and bridge the digital divide through technology. We need to yet see how these resources will be utilised to promote these mother tongue languages in a practical and day to day setting. (Times of India)

3. Libraries at Every Doorstep

In Mangaluru, the Mane Mane Granthalaya campaign is taking books directly into homes, encouraging families to read more. It was launched in September 2025 by the Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat, the Department of Public Libraries, and the District Central Library. The goal is to reach 1.2 lakh households across the district within the next year. The project encourages family reading time and aims to involve children, parents, and grandparents together in reading. Books are supplied through public libraries, school libraries, and volunteer networks, ensuring both children’s literature and general reading material are included. Panchayats and schools help organise book distribution drives and reading circles at the community level. While the initiative does not focus only on mother tongue books, this model shows how important access is: when books in local languages are part of such community libraries, they have the power to make reading a daily habit for children and parents alike if properly implemented. (Times of India)

Creating books in mother tongues is vital for multilingual education (MLE) because it makes learning more natural, inclusive, and meaningful. Local-language books also ensure that tribal and minority communities are not left out of literacy programmes, helping bridge social and regional gaps. With digital tools now making it easier to produce and share books in multiple languages, India could start to strengthen MLE by ensuring that literacy grows in every child’s own voice and their home language.

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Brief Highlights of World Literacy Day 2025:

ULLAS Programme is multilingual – teaching and learning material was provided in 26 Indian languages so people could learn in their own mother tongue. 1.83 crore learners assessed – under ULLAS, nearly 18 million learners took foundational literacy and numeracy tests, showing large-scale success in multiple languages.
New Indian Express
Four states fully literate in 2025 – Mizoram, Goa, Tripura, and Himachal Pradesh all crossed the 95% functional literacy mark, using regional languages like Mizo, Konkani, Marathi, and Himachali dialects in their literacy drives.
Indian Express
Digital literacy linked with multilingualism – UNESCO’s theme for International Literacy Day 2025 was “Promoting Literacy in the Digital Era,” stressing that apps and online learning must be available in local languages to avoid leaving people behind.
UNESCO

Regards,

Karsten, in collaboration with Upasana Lepcha

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