Pakistan”s President has issued a stark warning on International Mother Language Day, directly linking the use of unfamiliar languages in early schooling to widening learning gaps and rising dropout rates among children.
In a formal message, the President today emphasized the practical consequences of language policy on everyday life, stating that when education is provided only in a language that is not spoken at home, children are less likely to be confident and continue their education.
The statement highlighted that a child who begins their academic journey in a language used within their family is more likely to experience enhanced cognitive development, better understand lessons, and successfully learn fundamental skills like counting.
Beyond the classroom, the message emphasised the economic importance of local languages for millions of Pakistanis. Farmers, artisans, and small business proprietors frequently depend on their native dialects to access vital services, markets, and information, making the support of mother tongues crucial for literacy, mobility, and economic participation.
Citing research and international experience, the President advocated for mother tongue-based multilingual education, noting that it not only improves comprehension but also facilitates the acquisition of additional languages while safeguarding indigenous knowledge embedded in local expression.
The message acknowledged Pakistan as a rich mosaic of languages, including Punjabi, Pashto, Sindhi, Balochi, Seraiki, and many others, which reflect centuries of shared history. While Urdu serves as a unifying lingua franca, mother tongues remain the “first voice of our children and the primary carrier of inherited knowledge and tradition.”
It was argued that the challenge for a multi-ethnic federation like Pakistan is not diversity itself, but how to foster cohesion. The careful integration of regional languages into education and public life can deepen national unity by affirming that every community”s heritage is valued.
The President described language as more than a medium of communication; it shapes how communities remember their past, organise social life, and carry moral traditions. When a language weakens, “a distinct way of seeing and interpreting reality begins to fade.”
On a global scale, the message aligned with the international call to protect linguistic diversity, framing the decline of any language as a loss to humanity”s “shared intellectual heritage” and the protection of minority languages as an investment in inclusive societies.
Concluding the address, the President called for a renewed commitment to promoting all mother tongues spoken across Pakistan, noting that modern technology makes this goal more achievable. “Our unity does not require uniformity. It rests on mutual recognition and equal dignity,” the statement read, positing that honouring linguistic diversity strengthens the foundations of democracy and ensures every citizen feels represented.