UNESCO emphasizes that bi/multilingual education programmes will only be eff ective if they are delivered
by skilled early childhood educators and teachers who are fully fl uent in L1 and who have access to languagerich
resources, including an extensive written version of L1. In addition, children must be motivated to
learn L1 and be encouraged by their parents to do so as a fi rst priority of their education. In many settings,
investments are necessary to promote discussions among parents and other community members about
the perceived value of L1, including their hopes and concerns about the use of their home language in their
children’s early years and throughout primary school.