New Delhi: On Sunday i.e. February 21, 2010, Salman Khurshid, Minister for Minority Affairs, will inaugurate a conference on 'International Mother Language Day'. Commissioner Linguistic Minorities (CLM) has organized the conference with a view to encourage multilingualism and to facilitate mother languages as medium of instruction. As per sources, the International Mother Language Day is being observed on February 21 since the year 2000, to promote unity and harmony, while ensuring linguistic and cultural diversity to flower and prosper. It was so proclaimed by UNESCO’s general conference in November, 1999.
The Census Commissioner & Registrar General of India, Chairpersons/ Directors from University Grants Commission (UGC), National Council of Education Research and Training (NCERT), State Council Educational Research and Training (SCERTs), Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL), Mysore, Tribal Research Institutes, resource persons and officers from the central government, the education secretaries/ nodal officers from the States/ UTs and the delegates of Linguistic Minorities Associations representing different languages from all over India are expected to participate in the conference.
Following are points which will be discussed and suggested during the conference:
(i) Action plan for developing mother languages as medium of instruction in all primary schools of the country.
(ii) The steps for funding by the central/ state governments for implementation of safeguards for linguistic minorities.
(iii) A communication and media policy to make linguistic minorities aware of their rights/ safeguards.
