The turn of the century was a significant milestone in global technological advancements. In the last decade, the emphasis on developing new-age digital technologies has received a considerable boost, leading to the development and growth of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Blockchain, Cloud Computing and many more. While it is true that the global stakeholders, including governments and the private sector, have identified this technological shift as the critical enabler of a more tech-driven future, their comprehensive efforts are falling short owing to global linguistic diversity. As the world celebrates yet another International Mother Language Day, it is imperative that global authorities and stakeholders boost the scope of development by prioritizing the localization of the technologies. This will help bring millions of talents under a unified umbrella where vernacular languages are celebrated and integrated as a critical part of the communication and development of new technologies.
At its foundation, languages are meant to connect individuals. This is why the world’s linguistic diversity must be celebrated and used strategically to offer the global youth an opportunity to enter the workforce. At its pinnacle, this mutually beneficial aspect provides millions of talented individuals with little to no comprehension of dominant languages in the workforce while integrating fresh ideas, innovation and originality in diverse sectors. Similarly, vernacular language-driven tech education helps to support these talented individuals in learning the basics and integrating their originality to drive development. This aspect has already been implemented in countries like South Korea, China, and Japan, where talented people use their respective mother languages to create unprecedented technologies like DeepSeek. This highlights the true functionality of International Mother Language Day, something that must be adopted and used by global industries.
Promoting Diversity in Tech
Globally, the standards and frameworks of tech education are shifting to integrate newly developed technologies to equip students with appropriate knowledge to drive this growth. While global standards in tech education have made unprecedented developments, India has adopted a gradual approach aimed at comprehensively benefiting its diverse population, which belongs to numerous linguistic families. To understand the reason for this gradual process, it is important to know that the 2001 census revealed that India boasts 122 major languages and 1,599 other languages. The 8th schedule of the Indian Constitution recognizes 22 official languages, while there are over 19,599 languages and dialects in total that are used for communication in India as mother tongues. While this significant variance of linguistic identity in the country makes it significantly challenging to implement new educational policies, this diversity also unites the Republic of India, the world’s largest democracy. The distinct cultures of the Indian subcontinent have developed throughout thousands of years based on linguistic identities, an aspect that the Government of India is prioritizing in the National Education Policy (NEP).
For tech education, this offers a unique opportunity to bring a significant number of Indian talents under a unified umbrella and equip them with relevant knowledge. Like languages, technology is also a great connector of humankind, and by integrating vernacular languages into Indian tech education, the country is setting an example for the rest of the world to follow. For instance, Africa boasts at least 3,000 registered languages, barring dialects. While the majority of the population in the continent has little or no comprehension of globally dominant languages owing to diverse challenges, integrating vernacular African languages in tech education will not only enhance the comprehension power of the youth but also empower millions of talents. This offers to create a global movement where vernacular languages are celebrated with enhanced functionality, as has already been witnessed in several East Asian countries.
Pursuing tech education in their respective mother languages positions the learners to better comprehend complex topics, complete their learning process relatively easily, recall concepts faster, and have an in-depth understanding that is otherwise impossible.
The Present State of Vernacular Language-driven Tech Education Globally
The global education space has been completely revamped in the last couple of years owing to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Digital learning and the use of new-age technologies like AR and VR have become mainstream and adopted by conventional educational institutions. While the global EdTech domain has spearheaded this shift, its focus has gone beyond addressing accessibility and connectivity challenges. The education space globally is now focusing on creating an immersive learning experience for students, enhancing comprehension power through data-driven modern pedagogy and, most importantly, integrating vernacular language within the space. For tech education, this marks a significant milestone, as vernacular language enables students with little or no comprehension of dominant languages to compete with global peers.
As mentioned before, this model has been immensely successful in countries like South Korea, China, and Japan, where the integration of vernacular languages has boosted learning experiences. Localizing tech education across educational institutions to EdTech platforms has helped students in these nations to make advancements using their mother tongues. Similarly, localization of tech education elsewhere in the world has also gathered steam, leading to a programming language called ‘Qalb’ that enables users to code in Arabic. These initiatives have helped not only localize technological innovation but also democratize technology itself, enabling millions of talents to channel their ideas and originality in a methodical way. In India, this aspect is beginning to gather popularity and has received the support of stakeholders across levels, including the government. The National Education Policy outlines prioritizing Indian languages as the primary medium of education across regions, an aspect that is gradually transforming the scope of tech education in the country.
