KHYBER  -  In connection with International Mother Language Day, a gathering convened at Bacha Khan Chowk, Landi Kotal Bazaar on Wednesday aimed at promot­ing the use of the mother language as a medium of education in schools.

Under the banner of the local youth community, po­litical elites and members of civil society participat­ed in the event. Addressing the gathering, speakers including Aftab Shinwari, Nisar Shinwari, local Pa­kistan People Party leader Shah Rehman Shinwari, and others emphasized the importance of the moth­er language. They expressed concern that the gov­ernment’s neglect of the mother tongue had created a sense of deprivation among speakers of various lo­cal languages.

The speakers stressed that a mother language is the identity of a community, reflecting its culture and traditions. They advocated for making the moth­er language a compulsory subject in the curriculum for both private and state-run schools. Emphasizing that adopting mother languages as the medium of in­struction would enhance the development of local languages and contribute to an increase in the coun­try’s literacy rate, the speakers highlighted the signif­icance of celebrating the language day to foster bet­ter understanding among different ethnic groups.

The speakers also urged local traders and shop­keepers to display their signboards in their mother language, Pashto.