The key message to emerge is that failure to place inclusive education at the centre of the Education for All agenda is holding back progress towards the goals adopted at Dakar . Governments have to do far more to extend opportunities to hard-to-reach groups such as ethnic minorities , poor households in slums and remote rural areas , those affected by armed conflict and children with disabilities ( UNESCO , 2010 , p . 8 ).
Why did the EFA Working Group emphasize ethnic minority children in this document ? Here is what they said :
One reason that many linguistic and ethnic minority children perform poorly in school is that they are often taught in a language they struggle to understand . Around 221 million children speak a different language at home from the language of instruction in school , limiting their ability to develop foundations for later learning ( Ibid . pp . 10-11 ).
In September 2015 , in another meeting at UN headquarters , leaders from 193 countries agreed to work together to implement seventeen “ Sustainable Development Goals ”. Goal 4 calls on all governments to “ Ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning ” ( United Nations Development Programme , 2015 ).
All the booklets in this MTB MLE Resource Kit support the EFA goals for inclusive education , focusing specifically on education for children in minority or non-dominant language communities . It is based on the recognition that “ Education For All ” will not truly be “ for all ” until children from every language community have access to schooling in a language they speak and understand . This booklet also explains the principles and processes that help students in strong MTB MLE programmes to become fluent readers and writers in their mother tongue ( MT ) and in the official school language ( s ).
MTB MLE RESOURCE KIT Including the Excluded : Promoting Multilingual Education
As noted by UNESCO , the benefits of MTB MLE go beyond education . Strong , well-planned MTB MLE programmes also help to support national development and build social cohesion :
Education has a vital role to play in building resilience against violent conflict . Schools in the twenty-first century need above all to teach children what is arguably the single most vital skill for a flourishing multi-cultural society – the skill of living peacefully with other people ... ... Awareness of religious , ethnic , linguistic and racial diversity should not be banished from the classroom . On the contrary , diversity should be recognized and celebrated ( UNESCO , 2011 , p . 23 ).
This booklet has two parts . Part One describes the purposes , benefits and essential features of MTB MLE for children who do not hear or use the official school language at home . Questions that are frequently asked about MTB MLE serve as headings in each section . Answers are based on lessons that have been learned from experiences in planning and implementing MTB MLE programmes around the world . Part Two presents a summary of recent research relating to MTB MLE and lessons we can draw from that research .
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