ISD commemorates International Mother Language Day
International Mother Language Day marks the martyrdom of the valiant people of Bangladesh who sacrificed their lives to establish Bangla as the state language.
Such a sacrifice for the sake of the mother language is a rare occurrence in human history. International School Dhaka (ISD) has recently organised an assembly in nine languages to pay tribute to the martyrs and commemorate the significance of mother tongues. The event, a testament to linguistic diversity, occurred at the ISD Campus Gym.
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, 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.
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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 Grades 10 and 12 then narrated the history of Ekushey February.
Teachers and students from Primary and Secondary years paid a flower tribute to the Shaheed Minar in the school. During the flower tribute, the teachers led a singing performance, 'Amar Bhai Er Rokte Rangano. '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-Lankankan.
On this occasion, Steve Calland-Scoble, Director of 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."
