The Day of Slavic Literacy and Culture is celebrated in memory of the Thessaloniki brothers Cyril and Methodius, who are responsible for spreading literacy. It is very important to remember the significance of nurturing the Serbian language and Cyrillic alphabet, to which each of us should contribute.

The love for language and alphabet develops from an early age. This was also confirmed by the competition Moja olovka piše ćirilicom (My pen writes in Cyrillic), which received around 700 entries. The awardees include Đorđe Mihić from Bileća, who won the Golden Pen for Cyrillic penmanship among 254 handwritings in the junior elementary school pupil category.

The greatness of our nation is measured by the extent of our preserving the language – these are the words of the Serbian language reformer Vuk Karadžić. These words are a guide also for Jelena Raca, the student of the generation of the Banja Luka Faculty of Philology, who says that Serbian is rather undervalued today.

– I think that the Cyrillic alphabet is being increasingly neglected and that elementary and secondary school teachers should constantly encourage the pupils and remind them how important it is to know our alphabet – says Raca.

Serbian should be nurtured by each individual personally, and everything starts from reading culture, according to them.

– I appeal to every individual engaged in public speaking in all spheres of public language use, to start from their personal home library, because it is the best and most effective way to preserve the language and improve their speaking culture – said Biljana Babić, Dean of the Banja Luka Faculty of Philology.

It was from the Banja Luka Philology Faculty, which marked its day, that the initiative was launched earlier to introduce the subject Serbian language in undergraduate studies at all faculties, but a consensus on this has not yet been reached.

– We in the academic community must insist on the quality of the Serbian language and the use of the Cyrillic alphabet. But not only at faculties, but also in elementary and secondary education –said the rector of the Banja Luka University, Radoslav Gajanin.

In September 2021, the National Assembly of the Republic of Srpska adopted the Law on Protection, Preservation and Use of the Language of the Serb People and the Cyrillic Alphabet, which declared the Serbian language and Cyrillic alphabet a cultural asset of exceptional importance.

Source and photo: RTRS