UNESCO: 40% Lack Education in Their Language; Multilingual Policies Urged

UNESCO's Global Education Monitoring (GEM) team reports that 40% of the global population lacks access to education in a language they speak or understand. In low- and middle-income countries, this figure rises to 90%, affecting over a quarter of a billion learners. The GEM team advocates for multilingual education policies to benefit all learners. Their report, "Languages matter: Global guidance on multilingual education," notes increased linguistic diversity due to migration, with over 31 million displaced youth facing language barriers in education. The report marks the 25th anniversary of International Mother Language Day. It highlights that learning levels in reading and mathematics have dropped, disproportionately affecting linguistically disadvantaged learners, with the gap between groups increasing from 12 to 18 percentage points in reading and 10 to 15 points in mathematics between 2010 and 2022. The report states that countries face linguistic challenges due to historical factors like imposed languages and contemporary factors like immigration. Recommendations include context-specific language policies, curriculum adjustments, support for immigrant students, bridging language programs, and training for teachers in multilingual contexts. School leaders should foster inclusion for multilingual students, and collaboration between leaders, parents, and the community is crucial.