MTB-MLE

FRAMEWORK
What is Mother tongue-based multi-lingual
education?
Mother tongue-based multilingual education (MTB-MLE) is an
approach to education that uses the language or languages that
children are most familiar with, usually the language they speak at
home with their family, as the primary medium of instruction.
Benefits
• MTB-MLE is based on the idea that children learn best when they are
taught in a language they understand.
• MTB-MLE programs typically begin with instruction in the child's
mother tongue and then gradually introduce additional languages.
• MTB-MLE programs are designed to be context-specific, taking into
account the linguistic and cultural diversity of the community.
• MTB-MLE programs have been shown to improve educational
outcomes for children, particularly those from marginalized
communities.
Benefits
• MTB-MLE programs can help preserve and promote linguistic and
cultural diversity.
• MTB-MLE programs can be challenging to implement, particularly in
multilingual contexts where there may be many different languages
spoken.
• MTB-MLE programs require trained teachers who are able to provide
instruction in multiple languages.