DILI, 21 february 2023 (TATOLI)- Xanana Reading Room (XRR), United Nations Education, Science and Culture Organization (UNESCO), Minister of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS) together with National Institute of Linguistic (INL) celebrated the International Mother Language Day, theme “ The importance of Maternal Language in the education sector and prevising it in Timor-Leste’’.
Manager of Xanana Reading Room (XRR), Maria Amaral Guterres said the Xanana reading room organized a seminary on the celebration of International maternal dialects, aiming to take importance on Timorese maternal dialects by preserving the dialects.
“ We are organizing this seminary on the celebration of international maternal dialects to ensure all relevant institutions and NGOs preserving maternal dialects in Timor-Leste,’’’ XRR Manager, Maria Amaral Guterres told journalists at Xanana Reading Room, this tuesday.
Guterres added that this seminar also provided to ensure the government policy on how to preserve maternal dialects in Timor-Leste.
“XRR is starting with small action on preserving maternal dialects in Timor-Leste, through reading competitions and writing poetry on maternal dialects. The other measure XRR takes is the production of dialects books composed of Mambae, Makasae, and Baekenu, the dialect history books for children, the books are also translated for the Tetum language to ensure children who are not speaking dialect they able to read in the Tetum language,” Guterres said.
Coordinator of the National Commission on UNESCO in Timor Leste, Agusto Salsiña said the National Commission of UNESCO in Timor-Leste, so far has produced five books using maternal composed of Bunak, Mambae, Bekais, Mantaa, and Naueti and there other still in the revision process of Lonlei, Dadua, and lakes and expect the production of the book can be realized in this year.
“We also will provide training to the cultural spoke person, rural youth to know about preserving dialects in every municipality,’’ He said
UNESCO has a policy to develop dialects and produces history or science books for students living in the municipalities.
General Director of Policy and Plan Inclusion of MoEYS, Raimundu José Neto said the government has the policy to preserve Timorese dialects composed of Multi-Language Education (MLE), Gender Equality, and Inclusive education, the program implemented focused on providing capacity building for mentors in Lautem, Manatutu and Oecusse Ambeno (RAEOA).
This program is funded by the Timorese government through MoEYS worth almost 2 million USD.
Journalist: José Belarmino De Sá
Editor: Nelia B.
