UEW Marks Mother Tongue Day

The University of Education, Winneba has joined the world in marking Mother Language Day Celebration. The global event which was held to promote and create an awareness of linguistics & cultural diversity, multilingualism and peaceful co-existence of diverse language speakers, took place on 21st February, 2017 at the College of Languages Education in Ajumako.

The principal of the College of Languages Education, Prof. Avea Nsoh seized the opportunity to highlight the poor understanding and inadequate appreciation of indigenous languages education in Ghana. He stated that, “the College of Languages Education, Ajumako remains the only College in Ghana that is dedicated to promoting the study of indigenous languages.” He therefore called on the Ghana Education Service and the Ministry of Education to directly post graduates from the College without any hesitations to make their impact felt in the educational sector of the nation.

He again mentioned UEW as the only institution where most indigenous languages were not only taught but revitalized and preserved, consequently, occupying a prestigious position in preservation of indigenous language. A retired Professor of Linguistics and Bible Translation, Prof. Gilbert Ansre insisted on language quality. He stated that “our mother tongue should not only be used outside the classroom but as a medium of communication in the classroom.” He urged all people present to see the value in the use of our mother tongue language in our daily lives as it impacts were indeed high.

The event was characterized by cultural performances of drumming & dancing, speeches and poetry recitals from diverse tribes. Some distinguished guests present were the Deputy Registrar, Mr. Francis Narh Akrono, Dean of Social Science, Prof. Owuridu, Head of Department, Gur-Gonja, Head of Department, Ga-Dangme, Dr. Regina O. Caesar, a representative from Ministry of Education and Ghana Education Service, lecturers and administrators from the various Departments.