The Bangkok Priorities for Action on First Language-based Multilingual Education -UNESCO Digital Library

 Section 2: Priority Areas for Action on First Language-based Multilingual Education

We therefore prioritize action in the following areas, building upon the action plan contained in section 3 of the Bangkok Statement on Language and Inclusion (2019). We call upon our international, regional, and national communities—including government officials, representatives of United Nations agencies, development partners, civil society organizations, research communities, and members of youth, ethnolinguistic minority, and indigenous communities—to advance language-in-learning policies and transform education systems:

i. Highlighting Language-of-Instruction Issues:

• Strengthen high-quality research and evidence from the Asia-Pacific region on the languages learners speak and understand fluently, such as through school-level language mapping. This includes linking first language-based multilingual education policies, programs, and practices with learning outcomes, particularly foundational literacy, numeracy, transferable skills, and emerging global issues such as technology and climate change.

ii. Fostering Investment for Quality Multilingual Education:

• Systematically integrate first language-based multilingual education as a thematic topic in education sector reviews, analyses, and planning processes. Ensure targeted, adequate, and sustained budget allocation for these initiatives.

iii. Enhancing Quality of First Language-Based Multilingual Education:

• Develop, review, and improve first language-based multilingual education policies, including national and sub-national policies that enable foundational learning in the language learners understand and speak fluently. Introduce additional languages systematically while maintaining a first language component for as long as possible.

• Create high-quality culturally and linguistically relevant teaching and learning materials, both in print and digital form, and align classroom-based assessments to monitor multilingual learners' outcomes.

• Ensure accommodation, support, accessibility, and engagement for all learners, including out-of-school youth and adults, when language barriers exist but first language-based multilingual education is not yet available.

iv. Diversifying the Teacher Workforce and Building Capacity:

• Align recruitment, training, and deployment of teachers with the needs of multilingual learners. Ensure that teachers share the same first language or are trained in first language-based and multilingual teaching approaches.

v. Gathering and Monitoring Data Disaggregated by First Language:

• Review, improve, and analyze national data and indicators to track correlations between language and learning, focusing on SDG indicators related to foundational learning (SDG 4.5.2, 4.6.1, 4.6.2, 4.6.3). Use this data for national and regional mid-term and end-term analyses.

vi. Strengthening Partnerships with Relevant Stakeholders:

• Engage stakeholders at all stages of first language-based multilingual education planning and implementation to ensure evidence-based and context-specific decisions.

• Promote the value of local languages, cultures, and knowledge, with indigenous and ethnic minority communities, to safeguard local knowledge, build resilience, and foster social-emotional learning (SEL) across sectors, contributing to lifelong learning for the whole community.