Many salute Mother's Language on its day
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, February 21 2023:
Different organisations observed International Mother's Language Day in different parts of the State today.
Some of the organisations which observed the day were Meetei Erol Eyek Loinasilloi Apunba Lup (MEELAL), Wakhallon Mannaba Apunba (WAMA) and a group of six student organisations which included Manipuri Students Federation (MSF), Democratic Students Alliance of Manipur (DESAM), Kangleipak Students Association (KSA), Students Union of Kangleipak (SUK), Apunba Ireipaki Maheiroi Singpanglup (AIMS) and another student body.
The six student organisations observed the day at Manipur Press Club under the theme 'Multilingual education - A necessity to transform education,' today.
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At the function, the student organisations appealed to the State Government to take up initiative to let UPSC aspirants who take Manipur paper to write in Meitei Mayek, establish State Language Commission, formulate State Language Policy and set up a Transliteration Committee to ensure availability of reference books of higher education in Meitei Mayek.
MEELAL and WAMA, Kangleipak also observed International Mother's Language Day at Manipur Press Club.
At the observance, MEELAL secretary general N Nongmailembi said that the value of script to any society is immense as it enriches the culture of the society.
She continued that there are about 7000 scripts in the world of which nearly 43 per cent are on the verge of disappearance as per UNESCO.
She also stated that imparting knowledge to students in their mother languages would be more productive as envisaged by National Education Policy but expressed concern over many students preferring to take Meitei Mayek as an alternative subject instead.
"Not only students, even many adults and elders including Government officials think that conversing in English or Hindi sounds more polished," she said and added that such a culture is one big factor which will lead to the disappearance of 'our languages' .
Saying that Manipur is a diverse State which is home to different communities speaking different languages, Nongmailembi cautioned that none will come to promote or protect 'our languages other than us' .
She then urged the Government to formulate a policy to protect Manipuri language.
WAMA president Moirangthem Naokhamba Meetei, MEELAL president Khaidem Ingocha, HERICOUN president Longjam Ratan and LEEPUN president Thokchom Somarendro also attended the programme among others.