International Mother Language Day recognises that languages and multi-lingualism can advance inclusion, and the Sustainable Development Goals’ focus on leaving no one behind. 

UNESCO encourages and promotes multilingual education based on mother tongue or first language. It is a type of education that begins in the language that the learner masters most and then gradually introduces other languages.

This approach enables learners whose mother tongue is different from the language of instruction to bridge the gap between home and school, to discover the school environment in a familiar language, and thus, learn better.