Sittwe Technological University Students’ Union declares Arakanese its official language

18 Mar 2022

DMG Newsroom
18 March 2022, Sittwe

The Sittwe Technological University Students’ Union issued a statement on March 17 officially declaring Arakanese as its official language.

The decision, which proponents say will help to preserve the ethnic minority’s identity, was made at a meeting on March 15.

“The Arakanese language has been designated as the official language with the main aims of promoting the use of Arakanese literature and introducing Arakanese students to the Arakanese script,” Ko Khaing Soe Latt, acting chairman of Sittwe Technological University Students’ Union, told DMG.

Ko Tin Aung Khant, a third-year student at the University of Technology (Sittwe), said the change to Arakanese as an official language was a good move for the preservation of the Arakanese language.

“Most ethnic tribes in Myanmar do not know their own language because they have been taught Burmese since childhood,” he added. “This is a good sign that the Arakanese language has been changed to the official language. Other ethnic groups may consider this to be racist extremism, but I see it as preserving our own language.”

“Defining Arakanese as the official language means valuing one’s own language,” said Ko Chan Myae Aung, a third-year student at the University of Technology (Sittwe).

There are still some difficulties in using Arakanese as the official language due to the lack of an official dictionary and grammar authority in the Arakanese language, according to the statement from the Sittwe Technological University Students’ Union.