Doctorate and Master 2 Research Students trained on languages of minority groups
By Nformi Sonde Kinsai
Young Doctorate and Masters 2 research students have been drilled on the understanding, identification and presentation of arguments on aspects of linguistic diversity particularly the inclusion of minority groups in the social management of multi-lingual societies.
This was the substance of a Doctorate School seminar that spanned from February 14 to 21, 2024 organised by organised by a language promotion organisation known by French acronym as ACETELACH in partnership with the Yaounde-based UNESCO Regional Bureau for Central Africa.
The event that took place in the conference room of UNESCO was placed under the theme: “Diversity in education and inclusion of ethno-linguistic minorities: methodology and writing of scientific articles. Participants onsite and in a distance were drawn from Cameroon, Chad, Ghana, Niger, Togo, Rwanda, Canada, and so on.
Talking to reporters at the end of the training, Prof. Julia Ndibnu Messina Ethe of ACETELACH said the Doctorate training School has the double objective of integrating Master 2, Doctorate Students and newly crowned PhD holders. She said in the course of the training they examined the rights of ethno-linguistic minorities, their statute, inclusion in the education system, all aspects of multilingualism, intercultural and theories related to multilingual teachings in seminar contexts. Apart of promoting research, the trainees are expected to produce sound scientific articles in line with the central theme.
Prof. Ndibnu disclosed that the young researchers benefitted from information across the board as their goal is to ensure that they effectively collaborate despite the research theme they are handling. She said they are expecting the production of scientific articles in line with the central theme notably cultural diversity and linguistics for sustainable development.
The UNESCO National Administrator for Central Africa, Jean Roland Onana Nkoa re-echoed that the institution supports education and cultural issues. He said they are working on a number themes related to education, multiculturalism and national heritage. He noted that UNESCO is not only supporting the young researchers but policy on operational works for the protection of national heritage, culture and education by governments. He said Doctorate school training, more often, is done typically within the university auditorium, but they decided to bring it to a diplomatic sphere to enable the researchers deeply reflect, share experiences with the veterans transferring knowledge to the young ones. He said one of their goals is to see the findings of the researchers vulgarised.
One of the trainees, a Masters 2 student in the University of Yaounde I, Georges Steve Biyo Binyam told the press that the training is important for it enables them deepen knowledge on the methodology of writing scientific articles. He said they equally dwelled on national languages that are often not talked about, and the need to revamp cultures.
Judith Audrey Kapche Wabo said some national languages have been neglected to the point where they are now at the verge of extinction. She said one of the key things from the training is for them to promote national languages especially of the minority groups. She argued that effective development of communities could be done through the use of mother tongues. She said when one cannot identify one’s self with the mother tongue, then one is without roots.
Kapche urged parents to ensure that their kids learn their mother tongues for if that is successfully done, then it is a breakthrough in society. According to her, local languages have been neglected to the point that people feel ashamed to speak their mother tongues in preference for English or French.
“Our aim is to push people back to their cultures through their local languages. We are working to have researchers that could focus on minorities and their languages because theirs have been neglected for too long,” she stated.