The 15th edition of the International Mother Language Day has been commemorated in Cameroon under the theme, “Inclusive education using the mother tongue; the mother tongue an indispensable tool.”

Activities to mark the day in Cameroon were organised on 21st February 2015. Some highlights included sketches, traditional dances and recitation of poems by children from the ten regions of Cameroon.

During the event in Yaounde, the Secretary of State at the Ministry of Basic Education, Benoit Ndong Soumhet hinted that Government is training teachers to teach national languages in primary schools.

So far, some languages have been included in the country’s primary school curricular; these include Ewondo, Fulfude, Bassa and Ghomala.

A Non-Governmental Organisation, better known in French as ELAN-Afrique has been working on this project to integrate the four languages. The NGO is working closely with the Ministry of Basic Education and La Francophonie, UNESCO and SIL-Cameroon, which are amongst the Ministry’s external partners.

The International Mother Language Day gained international focus in 1952. On this day, students demonstrating for recognition of their language – Bangla, as one of the two national languages of the then Pakistan were shot dead by police in Dhaka, the capital of present-day Bangladesh. Since then, the international community did recognise the need to observe the day. The first official commemoration was in February 2000.

According to UNESCO Director, Irina Bokova the International Mother Language Day is a day to size up the importance of the mother tongue in the enhancement of quality learning and social inclusion.