Members of the Social, Humanitarian, and Cultural Committee (SOCHUM) on Friday discussed a resolution to include a variety of languages in education but the debate was ultimately undermined by the West’s agenda to establish English as a global language.
A majority of the delegates agreed that language in education is important to include ethnic minorities and overcome communication barriers. The United Arab Emirates proposed drafting a resolution to encourage all member nations to provide access to education in students’ mother tongue.
France, India, and Australia opposed implementing a universal resolution, raising concerns over increased language barriers if everyone spoke their own language. India especially pointed out that it would be impossible to offer courses in all of its hundreds of languages.
The SOCHUM aimed at enhancing the social inclusion of minorities and yet Western nations, such as France and Australia, propose teaching classes in their national language and English only to facilitate integration of their citizens in the international labor market. South Africa corroborates this idea, which analysts trace back to its colonial history with Britain.
Upon questioning from Georgia if English should be forced upon every nation, a majority of members agreed. However, Chinese will become the next global language based on predictions of Chinese speakers to surpass English speakers in the near future, experts say.
While China acknowledges the importance of including ethnic minorities, Beijing admits the benefits of having one national language to facilitate access of all citizens to the labor market and education. The People’s Republic of China advocates for Chinese to rise to the status of a global language, increasing the importance of education being taught in the national tongue.
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