Two graduate students at the Tamale College of Education, who wrote their project work in Dagbanli, a language spoken by the Dagombas, have received awards (cash prizes) for being the first in the history of the College to do so.
The two students; Mr Awal Abdul-Wadudu, and Mr Adam Abdul-Fatawu Wunizoya, pursued a Bachelor of Education (B. Ed) Ghanaian Language Major (Dagbanli) and English Language (Minor).
They were part of a total of 473 students at the Tamale College of Education and the first cohort of the four-year B. Ed Programme in Junior High School Education at the College, who graduated from the College during its ninth congregation in Tamale at the weekend.
Dr Alhaji Sulemana Iddrisu, Principal of Tamale College of Education, in an interview with the media shortly after the congregation ceremony, said the awards were to encourage other students to write their project work in the local language to help preserve it.
Dr Alhaji Iddrisu said, “They are the only two students out of the lot, who were graduating, who chose to write their project work in Dagbanli. That, for me, is an innovation, the first of its kind in the history of the tertiary programme that we are doing.”
He added that “In order to encourage many more students, we have worked with one of our collaborating partners to get some awards for those who have started so that it will serve as a motivator for others, who are still in the system to do same.”
He said, “I am expecting that maybe towards the next year when we are graduating, we should have five to 10 students, who are specialising in languages, to have their project works written in Dagbanli.”
Mr Adam Abdul-Fatawu Wunizoya told the media about his experience writing his project work in the local language, saying “It was not easy at all. There are no existing Dagbanli theses. So, I had to write everything from start to end.”
He added that “There was no material to refer to. So, I had to always be on my supervisor, who doubled as our Dagbanli Tutor at the College. In fact, at a time, his home became mine because I was always there day and night.”
Ashantibiz
