Sikkim: State-level extempore speech competition held to promote language preservation among youth

In an effort to reinforce the significance of mother tongues and encourage linguistic diversity, the Directorate of Languages, Education Department in collaboration with Sikkim Akademi on March 22 organized the final round of a state-level Extempore Speech Competition. The competition tailored for students of class 9 and 10 belonging to the Rai, Gurung, Tamang and Sherpa communities witnessed participation of several students from across the state. 

The journey of the competition commenced on February 20 spanning through school, district, and culminating in the state-level finals. Speaking on the purpose behind the initiative, SR Subba, President of Sikkim Akademi stated the alarming detachment of today's youth from their mother languages. He said, "Language is our life; when we don't speak our own mother tongue, we are going lifeless. Thus, it becomes imperative to protect and preserve our languages." The competition served as a platform to evaluate the fluency and dedication of participants towards conserving their respective mother tongues.

Sudha Rai, Deputy Director of the Education Department, Government of Sikkim spoke on the comprehensive approach adopted in organizing the competition. "In Sikkim government schools, across four state government languages, we initiated this Extempore Speech Competition starting from the grassroots level and progressing to the pinnacle of state-level finals," she said.

Anmol Gurung from Tingley SS clinched the top spot among the Gurung participants, while Hosey Dorma Sherpa from Parbing SSS excelled in representing the Sherpa community. Lachen Tamang from Soreng SSS and Ruchi Hangma Rai from Chujachen SSS emerged victorious among the Tamang and Rai participants respectively.