International Mother Language Day is observed on 21st February every year to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism.
- The theme of the 2023 International Mother Language Day, “Multilingual education – a necessity to transform education” aligns with recommendations made during the Transforming Education Summit, where an emphasis was also placed on Indigenous people’s education and languages.
- The idea to celebrate International Mother Language Day was the initiative of Bangladesh.
- It was approved at the 1999 UNESCO General Conference and has been observed throughout the world since 2000.
Ekushey February
- “Ekushey February”, or simply “Ekushey” (‘the 21st’ in Bangla), commemorates the day in 1952 when students of the University of Dhaka launched a nationwide protest against the imposition of Urdu on what was then East Pakistan.
- Today, the day is recognised as a pivotal moment in the Bhasha Andolon (Bengali Language Movement), which laid the foundations of ethnic nationalism in East Pakistan and led to the creation of Bangladesh in 1971.
