PUTATAN: The Government will continue to support the efforts of various parties, including ethnic associations, to uphold their mother tongues as a means of fostering unity and inclusivity in the country’s multicultural society.
Entrepreneur and Cooperatives Development Minister Datuk Ewon Benedick said this includes the efforts of the Sabah Ethnic Language Association (Sela) in developing Teaching and Learning Modules for Ethnic Language Teachers.
Advertisement (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});“As a member of the government leadership, this cause is very close to my heart,” he said when officiating the closing ceremony of Course and Workshop on Developing Teaching and Learning Modules for Ethnic Language Teachers, here, Saturday.
“That is why, last year, we initiated discussions with Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek regarding the teaching and learning of these ethnic languages in schools.
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“I hope the support from ethnic associations, State Education Department, Ministry of Education, as well as my own Ministry through Yayasan Bank Rakyat (YBR), would be able to elevate the status of ethnic languages,” he said.
Advertisement (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});Ewon expressed hope that with continuous efforts and support from all parties, the ethnic languages of Sabah’s communities could flourish in schools.
“Hopefully, one day, these schools will serve as platforms for ethnic languages to thrive.
Advertisement (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});“Our country represents togetherness, both in the unity of its territories and in the harmony of its ethnic groups, including Malays, Chinese, Indians and other ethnicities.
“If any ethnic group were to separate from us, it would undoubtedly make the federation and the country difficult to govern.
“This is why I view this unity as a strong justification to ensure that every ethnic group is respected by the Government, particularly in the education sector,” he said.
He also appreciated the efforts of Sela, Kadazandusun Language Foundation (KLF), YBR, Borneo Institute for Indigenous Studies of Universiti Malaysia Sabah (BORIIS UMS), Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL) and the Education Department for organising the course and workshop.
“I will continue to provide full support to this ethnic language teaching and learning initiative,” he said.
Ewon also launched the Sela and a multilingual dictionary (English-Malay-Kadazandusun-Kadazan) published by YBR.