** Material languages: diversity’s guards and catalysts for inclusive education **
In this fall 2025, the 25th International Material Language Day offers us a precious opportunity to reflect on an often underestimated issue: the preservation of languages and their fundamental role in the promotion of sustainable societies. While peoples are preparing to celebrate the linguistic wealth of our planet, it is crucial to analyze the societal, educational and even economic impacts of this diversity more in depth.
### Diving into the history of languages
The history of mother tongues is not only a question of cultural identity, but also a dynamic process of transmission of knowledge and values. Since the UNESCO Declaration in 1999, the day recalls the importance of these languages in the construction of an individual’s personality. Return to linguistic sources is often synonymous with a call for collective memory, strengthening both individual and community identity.
An often ignored factor is that the disappearance of languages also leads to invaluable loss of traditional knowledge, often carrying wisdom in terms of natural resources management and respect for the environment. Indeed, in regions like the Amazon, where indigenous languages are closely linked to biodiversity, each disappeared language risks carrying with it an ancestral knowledge concerning pharmacopoeia or local ecology.
### Language as a inclusive education tool
With the UNESCO estimate that 40 % of the world’s population does not access education in its mother tongue, it is imperative to rethink our education systems. By integrating mother tongues into the curriculum, we can not only improve learning results, but also promote truly inclusive education. Multilingual education allows students not only to master their original language, but also to acquire skills in other languages, thus becoming citizens of the versatile world.
According to a recent study by the World Bank, students who have undergone schooling in their mother tongue have 30 % higher academic performance compared to those who have been educated exclusively in a second language. This observation underlines the urgency of a long -term commitment to the integration of local languages in teaching, in particular in developing countries where languages such as Kiswahili or Lingala, in DRC, play a fundamental role in social fabric.
## Languages and sustainable development
Beyond educational dimensions, it is essential to underline the economic importance of linguistic diversity. Languages are strategic commercial assets in a globalized world. They promote local commerce, make it possible to forge fruitful commercial links and support the development of tourism. Countries that value their linguistic diversity, such as Canada or New Zealand, have been able to establish an inclusion model that stimulates the economy while strengthening their cultural heritage.
On the other hand, international organizations also begin to recognize that the promotion of mother tongues is a fundamental pillar to achieve the objectives of sustainable development (SDG). For example, the ODD 4, which aims to ensure quality education for all, cannot be achieved without a clear commitment to multilingualism and linguistic education, because each mother tongue is a key to access to knowledge.
### The universal message of International Language Language Day
This year’s event, under the slogan “Languages count”, evokes a collective awareness of the urgency of acting. By sharing stories of people involved in the preservation of their languages, schools promoting teaching in the mother tongue, and communities that collaborate to revitalize in danger, we have the opportunity to inspire a global movement for the safeguard of this wealth.
In resonance with the events spent in Bangladesh, where martyrs have sacrificed their lives to defend their language, this day now symbolizes a planetary struggle for linguistic dignity. It is a call not only to preserve languages, but also to celebrate them as a foundation of peace and social cohesion.
### A multilingual future
To conclude, investing in mother tongues is a strategic choice for peace, sustainable development and social equity. As citizens of the world, it is our responsibility to recognize the importance of each language, not only as a communication tool, but as a collective heritage to be preserved.
Linguistic diversity makes our planet a richer and more complex place. As Dorcas Mwavita pointed out on fatshimetric.org, “tomorrow, let’s unite to celebrate and protect our languages.” To celebrate our languages is to celebrate our humanity in all its diversity and integrity.
So let’s celebrate this day with conviction, memory and hope, for a future where each language will count.