All the world's flags. The flags on the left side are clear. The flags on the right side are blurred. This is because the flags are shown like a wave.

#InternationalMotherLanguageDay

Let’s mark #InternationalMotherLanguageDay on February 21st by delving into a universal topic: waste! No matter where you are in the world, each country has its own unique terms for waste because waste is everywhere.

We’ve reached out to speakers of French, Spanish, German, and Mandarin Chinese to help us discover the words for waste in their native languages. And guess what? We’ve turned it into an exciting worksheet challenge just for you! You can check it out here: Languages of waste – Zone (recycledevon.org)

Banner that showcases all the top tourist attractions like the Eiffel Tower, the statute of Buddha and the Statute of Liberty. Behind is the flags of the world.

Top notch UK education

This year, UNESCO’s theme for International Mother Language Day is “Multilingual education is a pillar of intergenerational learning.” It’s all about empowering everyone in their own languages while also embracing others.

While reading, writing, and speaking might seem like basic skills, they’re not to some. According to UNESCO, there are still 250 million children who don’t attend school, and 750 million adults who lack basic literacy skills.

Although many may not enjoy school, we’re fortunate to have a good educational system by global standards. In the UK, we have a 99% literacy rate. However, one area we could improve is in learning other languages. Only 21% of the UK population is estimated to be able to hold a conversation in a second language, compared to 65% in continental Europe. Parlez vous Français? If you’re from the UK then the answer is probably not. | Euronews

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