Overview
- Global observances on February 21 reflected UNESCO’s focus on “Youth voices on multilingual education,” with universities and cultural institutions hosting talks, book releases and campus programs.
- In Bangladesh, students and activists paid floral tributes at Dhaka University to honor the martyrs of the 1952 Bengali Language Movement that inspired the annual commemoration.
- Political leaders including Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee urged protection of all mother tongues and broader use of regional languages in education and public life.
- Indian education bodies detailed practical steps, noting CIIL–NCERT primers in 121 languages, SWAYAM courses in 16 languages and NEP 2020’s push for early-grade instruction in the mother tongue.
- Coverage paired urgency with solutions, citing UNESCO’s warning that about 40% of languages are endangered and pointing to AI-enabled efforts such as India’s Bhashini platform and university research to improve translation, transcription and access.