40% global population doesn't have access to education in language they understand: UNESCO
New Delhi (PTI): Forty per cent of the global population does not have access to education in a language they speak or understand, according to UNESCO's Global Education Monitoring (GEM) team.
Despite countries' growing understanding of the role of home language, policy uptake remains limited. Implementation challenges include limited teacher capacity to use home languages, unavailability of materials in home languages and community opposition, it said.
In some low- and middle-income countries, this figure rises to 90 per cent. More than a quarter of a billion learners are affected, GEM officials said, recommending nations to implement multilingual education policies and practices with the goal of creating educational systems that benefit all learners.
The team, which has come up with a report titled "Languages matter: Global guidance on multilingual education", noted that as migration increases, linguistic diversity is becoming a global reality and classrooms with learners from diverse language backgrounds are more common. Over 31 million displaced youth are facing language barriers in education.
The report was compiled on the 25th anniversary of International Mother Language Day, celebrating a quarter-century of dedicated efforts to preserve and promote the use of mother tongues.
The report comes at a time when India is in the process of implementing the new National Education Policy (NEP) that advocates multilingual education. The three-language policy in school education has drawn opposition from some states.
"Today 40 per cent of people globally lack access to education in the language they speak and understand fluently. In some low- and middle-income countries, this figure rises to 90 per cent. More than a quarter of a billion learners are affected," a senior GEM team member told PTI.
"The first thing to note is that over the course of this decade, which has been marked by the pervasive influence of technology in young people's lives but also by the impact of COVID-19, learning levels have dropped sharply in both reading and mathematics. But the next thing to note is that the impact has been disproportionate on learners who are disadvantaged due to linguistic reasons," the official added.
According to the analysis by the team, the gap between the two groups increased on average between 2010 and 2022, from 12 to 18 percentage points in reading and from 10 to 15 percentage points in mathematics. This suggests that learners who do not speak the language of instruction at home, whether for historical reasons or due to migration and displacement, are at a bigger risk of leaning loss.
"Countries face diverse linguistic challenges in education, stemming from both historical and contemporary factors. In the first category, often as a legacy of colonialism, languages have been imposed on local populations that prevented their use for instruction and created educational disparities.
"At the same time, large linguistic diversity in some countries presents challenges for education systems, as resources for implementing multilingual education programmes tend to be limited," the report said.
In the second category, immigration brings new languages to classrooms in richer countries, enriching linguistic diversity but also posing challenges in instruction and assessment.
"These countries often grapple with issues such as language acquisition support for immigrant students, developing inclusive curricula that reflect diversity, and ensuring equitable access to quality education for all students, regardless of their linguistic background. The context each country faces means the policy solutions required are different," it added.
The GEM team has recommended that educational language policies should prioritise context-specific approaches and language transition must be backed by curriculum adjustments and supported by teaching and learning materials adapted for that grade.
"In countries with significant immigrant populations, policies should support the development and implementation of effective bridging language programmes, qualified teachers, and support inclusive learning environments that cater to the diverse linguistic needs of all," it said.
"In multilingual contexts, training should ensure proficiency in both home and second languages; teacher deployment could match the teacher's language fluency with the language of instruction of the target school; early childhood educators should be trained on culturally and linguistically responsive pedagogy," it added.
Planning for strong support systems outside of schools to ensure the success of new multilingual education policies and supporting school leaders to foster inclusion in schools are also among the recommendations.
"Countries should ensure that the selection, recruitment and training of school leaders includes a focus on fostering inclusion in schools, inclusive of multi-lingual students' needs. School leader professional standards should emphasise the importance of collaboration between leaders and parents and the community to build bridges between linguistic groups," it said.
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'Aurangzebi govt': BJP slams Cong-led Karnataka dispensation over saffron shawl ban in schools
New Delhi (PTI): A political row erupted on Friday over the Congress-led Karnataka government's clarification that saffron shawls would not be allowed in educational institutions, with the BJP alleging that it is pursuing "appeasement and vote-bank politics".
The controversy flared up after Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said on Thursday that saffron shawls would not be allowed in educational institutions under the state government's order on religious symbols, while practices already in existence such as hijab, turbans, rudraksha beads and sacred threads (janeu) would continue to be permitted.
BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla alleged that the Congress government is pursuing appeasement politics and termed it an "Aurangzebi government".
"This government allows the wearing of hijab inside institutions, which the Supreme Court and high court had not allowed. But you cannot wear a 'bhagwa' (saffron) shawl or 'bhagwa' angavastram. This is the mindset of the Siddaramaiah government," Poonawalla said in a video post on X.
He alleged that the Congress government can go to any extent for appeasement politics and accused the party of "abusing Sanatan" in the past as well.
"They have shown Hindu hatred, from terms like 'bhagwa terror' and 'Hindu terror' to abusing Sanatan.
"We have seen how Congress leaders in Tamil Nadu have abused Sanatan. In Telangana, they said Congress means Muslims. They seek Muslim reservation in the name of vote-bank politics and appeasement," he alleged.
Poonawalla further alleged that the Siddaramaiah government has adopted a discriminatory policy and claimed that it had earlier announced a "Muslim-only budget" and "Muslim colonies".
Speaking to reporters in Mysuru, the chief minister clarified that those religious attire which are in practice will be allowed.
The Karnataka government on Wednesday passed an order allowing students to wear the hijab, sacred thread, Shivadhara and rudraksha in schools.
The order scrapped the BJP government's 2022 order, banning Hijab in government schools following the hijab versus saffron shawl controversy.
"Saffron shawls are not allowed. Those shawls cannot be worn. Turbans, sacred thread, Shivadhara, rudraksha and hijab can also be worn," Siddaramaiah told reporters.
"See, it is not just the hijab. People can also wear sacred threads; Shivadhara rudraksha beads everyone can wear, things according to their beliefs.
"This is allowed up to Class 12, whether it is high school, college or primary school. It applies to all," he added.
Asked whether saffron turbans representing saffron identity would be permitted, the chief minister said only practices already in existence would be allowed and no new practices could be introduced.
