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{
    "id": 1050206,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1050206/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 98,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. (Dr.) Musuruve",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13188,
        "legal_name": "Getrude Musuruve Inimah",
        "slug": "getrude-musuruve-inimah"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity to make a Statement of general topical concern on the celebration of the International Mother Language Day. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I rise, pursuant to Standing Order No.47(1), to make a Statement of general topical concern on the Annual International Mother Language Day celebrated globally every 21st of February. International Mother Language Day is celebrated every year to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism around the world. Linguistic diversity has always been one of the foundational pillars of our civilization. Mr. Speaker, Sir, the idea to celebrate International Mother Language Day first came from Bangladesh, after which the General Conference of the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) decided to celebrate February 21st as International Mother Language Day from November, 1999. On 16th May, 2007, UNESCO, through a general resolution, called upon member states to promote the preservation and protection of all languages used by people of the world. By the same resolution, the General Assembly proclaimed 2008 as the International Year of Languages to promote unity in diversity and international understanding through multilingualism and multiculturalism. Mr. Speaker, the theme of this year’s International Mother Language Day is \"Fostering Multilingualism for Inclusion in Education and Society\". It recognizes that languages and multilingualism can advance inclusion and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) focusing on leaving no one behind. This year, special attention was paid to multilingual education from early childhood, so that for children their mother tongue will always be an asset. Mr. Speaker, Sir, this year’s theme encourages us to support multilingualism and the use of mother tongue both at school and in everyday life. This is essential because when 40 per cent of the world’s inhabitants do not have access to education in the language they speak or understand best, it hinders their learning as well as their access to heritage and cultural expressions. A socio-linguist will agree with the fact that every human being has an innate capacity of learning a language. The age below seven years is the best-suited for language acquisition. As we commemorate this day, I would like to encourage both levels of government in Kenya to leverage on the asset that is mother tongue by deliberately allocating more resources to early childhood education as well as to universities and colleges. I would also like to encourage a public-private partnership in allocating more resources to media stations, both print and electronic, to ensure that mother tongue is cascaded to people at their doorsteps. Mr. Speaker, it is worrying that there are quite a number of mother tongues that are threatened with extinction. The Olusuba language, for instance, which is spoken by The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}