Speakers at a program have stressed the need for using the mother language for official purposes.
Speaking at the program organized on the occasion of International Mother Language Day here Wednesday, they suggested the local governments it could use separate mother language languages at the ward level.
Acting Chairman of the Language Commission, Usha Hamal, informed that efforts were continued on how the mother language could be protected.
Commission member Amrit Yonjan shed light on the importance of the mother language, while secretary Jayram Adhikari made a presentation on the activities being carried out by the Commission.
Former Chairman of the Commission, Dr. Labadev Awasthi, Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Deepak Sharma, and others viewed strong coordination as imperative among the stakeholders for the protection of the mother language.
The UN General Assembly announced the celebration of International Mother Language Day in 1999 and began observing it on February 21, 2000. However, Nepal had begun observing the Day since 2066BS.
A study has shown that two languages get obsolete in 15 days across the globe. UNESCO has been organizing various programs to preserve mother tongues.
It was informed at the program that among 37 languages spoken by less than 1,000 people in Nepal, 23 are facing extinction. So, the time has come to protect those languages, the speakers emphasized.
The slogan for this year's International Day of Mother Language is 'Multilingual education – a necessity to transform education.'
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