Multilingual Education and India

Learning new things from a webinar can be quite enriching. Presenting at a webinar is even a richer experience: Recently I helped design and execute a webinar for the Early Learning Network of India (ELNI) hosted by Tata Trust. Good to talk about the reasons for and the principles for using the local languages in the classroom! The Early Learning Network of India (ELNI) invited education specialists to provide a global perspective in integrating local languages into early education for a webinar. The ELNI, supported by Tata Trusts, regularly hosts webinars focused on early literacy and the use of local languages in classrooms. These sessions bring together educators, researchers, and policymakers to share international and national insights on multilingual education. The ELNI is led by Dr. Shailaja Menon, and promotes early literacy through teacher development and multilingual, research-informed practices in collaboration with institutions and NGOs. During this presentation the topics ...

Languages matter: global guidance on multilingual education (UNESCO) In 1953, UNESCO published "The use of vernacular languages in education," a historical report advocating for the use of mother tongues in education. It was an influential document in promoting multilingual education. Over the years several other publications followed and this year a fresh report came out: Languages matter: Global guidance on multilingual education . It is good to note that in this report India is mentioned several times with positive examples. Let's hope that also this time the report will help to move us all a bit closer to the desired situation where children can learn in a  language they are comfortable with before transitioning to a dominant language. As this was the 25th anniversary of the International Mother Language Day (21st February, 2025), UNESCO released a report, Languages matter: Global guidance on multilingual education which expresses the urgent need to include multili...

The international mother language day usually triggers the publishing of multiple articles on language. This year there were also several relevant publications related to multilingual education . We picked 5 for you that might be of particular interest. The following articles highlight recent developments, offering valuable insights into multilingual education's role in enhancing student learning, cultural identity, and social inclusion. By examining these articles, we can understand the impact of these changes and how they align with the goals of UNESCO’s multilingual education guidelines. The combination of policy developments, local movements, and scholarly perspectives makes this an important time for MLE advocates to continue pushing for greater linguistic inclusivity in education systems. 1. UNESCO's Global Guidance on Multilingual Education: A Valuable Resource A new UNESCO publication on multilingual education came out on International Mother Language day "Languag...