Research vital to preserving, developing mother language

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday stressed the need for research to preserve, revitalise and develop the mother languages of the world as many languages are being lost.

“I always put emphasis on research. The reason is that enrichment of anything is not possible without research,” she said.

The prime minister said this while inaugurating a four-day programme of the International Mother Language Institute at Segunbagicha in Dhaka to mark Martyrs’ Day and International Mother Language Day-2023.

She said the government will take steps to provide fellowship for language research in the International Mother Language Institute.

“I think this institute has a responsibility to preserve all the languages of the world, conduct research on these and know the history of languages. I think it can be done.”

Sheikh Hasina said she, if needed, will arrange funds to provide fellowship for language researchers.

She said today Bangladesh has attained food autarky thanks to research. “Now research is extensively needed in different sectors including science and health.”

In this context, the prime minister said the government provides fellowship and stipends to 24 million students in Bangladesh and free textbooks to school students.

She said her government raised the literacy rate to 65.5 per cent from only 45 per cent during the 1996-2001 tenure and got an award from UNESCO for this achievement at that time. Then her government formed a fund with the award money to provide a stipend for higher education.

“Coming into power in 2009, now we have raised the literacy rate to 75.2 per cent. So, we are advancing [in terms of education],” she said.

“Many languages in different countries are being lost…We want the engendered languages of the world to be preserved here and research to be conducted on these. We are giving the utmost importance to research. I want International Mother Language Institute to make a huge contribution to preserve the languages.”

The prime minister said the country’s children should learn one or two foreign languages alongside learning own language. Noting that English has turned into the dominant medium of international communication now, she said, “Alongside it, I think it is very essential to learn own language. Our children can learn one or two other languages alongside the own language.”

Sheikh Hasina said she laid the foundation stone of the International Mother Language Institute during the visit of the then UN general secretary Kofi Annan in 2001, but the subsequent BNP-Jamaat government stopped its works.

She thanked the 2001-2006 BNP government for stopping its works saying that otherwise, her government did not get the scope to develop this institute as per her design.

“From one perspective, they did a good job. I would like to thank them as I could develop this institute as per my choice after coming into power for the second term. So, I thank them for stopping it.”

She recalled the contribution of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to the Language Movement in 1952. In the event, Sheikh Hasina, also chief patron of the institute, handed over the international mother language national medals and the international mother language international medals to four recipients.

Habibur Rahman and Ranjit Sinha were awarded the national medals, while Mahendra Kumar Mitra and Mother Language Lovers of World Society, Vancouver, Canada were conferred with the international medals in recognition of their extraordinary contribution to the preservation, revitalisation and development of mother languages.