ISD commemorates International Mother Language Day and linguistic diversity

To pay tribute to the martyrs of the Language Movement and commemorate the significance of mother tongues, International School Dhaka (ISD) has recently organised an assembly in nine languages. The event, a testament to linguistic diversity, took place at the Gym of the ISD Campus, says a press release.

The assembly is aligned with the core purpose of why UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) celebrates International Mother Language Day – to preserve and safeguard mother tongues and cultural heritages. Additionally, the year 2025 marks the Silver Jubilee of International Mother Language Day by UNESCO. The milestone underscores a quarter-century of dedicated efforts to preserve linguistic diversity and promote the use of the mother tongue.

ISD’s assembly, a tribute to martyrs and a celebration of diversity, commenced with the national anthems of different countries, including Bangladesh, New Zealand, Fiji, Uzbekistan, Japan, China, France, and Malaysia. Two students from Grade 10 and 12 then narrated the history of Ekushey February.

Teachers, along with students from Primary and Secondary years, provided a flower tribute to the Shaheed Minar in the school. During the flower tribute, a singing performance, ‘Amar Bhai Er Rokte Rangano,’ took place, and it was led by the teachers. Students from the Primary Years Program performed the Hello song in Spanish and Japanese, narrated a French poem called Correspondences, performed a Mandarin song named ‘Jasmine Flower,’ and danced to the song ‘What Makes You Beautiful.’

In addition, students from the Secondary Years Program performed a patriotic Bangla song called ‘Surjodoye Tumi’, danced to ‘Esho Boli Bangla Ke,’ performed on a musical drama called, Ora Amar Mukher Basha’, and recited Verse 35 of Gitanjali poetry by Rabindranath Tagore in Bangla, English, French, Spanish, Dutch, Hindi, Portuguese, Korean, Russian, and Sri-Lankan.

On this occasion, Steve Calland-Scoble, Director, International School Dhaka, commented, “The sacrifice of the valiant people to speak Bangla highlights the importance of mother tongue and cultural heritage. Linguistic diversity is increasingly threatened as more and more languages are disappearing, so we feel thrilled to commemorate such a historical day with nine languages and help preserve and safeguard mother tongues along with cultural heritages.”