Mother Language Day

International Mother Language Day is observed every year around the world on 21 February. The aim is to raise awareness of the importance of mother language and multilingualism. International Mother Language Day was established by UNESCO in 1999, and it has been observed regularly since 2000 at the initiative of Bangladesh. 

Given that this 21 February fell on a Sunday, students of Savremena Gimnazija celebrated it the next day, on 22 February when they were introduced to the parts of the Legacy of the Grand Prince Stefan Nemanja to His Son Sava that refer to language in the Serbian Language and Literature lesson. Carefully analysing the words of Stefan Nemanja, the students concluded that St Simeon equates the existence of a language with the existence of a nation: “Nations that lose their language will cease to exist”.  

The Serbian Language and Literature teacher reminded students of Savremena Gimnazija of the importance of language, quoting excerpts from the texts of Vuk Stefanović Karadžić, Isidora Sekulić and many others. 

Language nurtures a nation. As long as the language is alive, as long as we love and respect it, speak and write in it, as long as we purify it, our nation will live and we will be able to communicate and connect intellectually with each other, we will remain independent and not be assimilated.  Vuk S. Karadžić

A developed language is the very blood and bone of a nation, it is the maximum of what one culture can pass on. Isidora Sekulić

Given that International Mother Language Day is observed around the world, we at Savremena Gimnazija dedicated Serbian Language and Literature lessons to our precious language. Year 3 students of Savremena Gimnazija analysed thoughts on language on their own, almost without any teacher’s assistance, and drew conclusions about the importance of using and preserving one’s mother language. Serbian Language and Literature lessons in Savremena Gimnazija are organised in such a way as to remind students of the words of Duško Radović before each class – that we should love the Serbian language a little every day, because it has no one but us, says Marija Pilčević Tomašević, Serbian Language and Literature teacher.

Lessons in the elective course Language, Media and Culture will also be dedicated to this topic. 

I am extremely pleased and proud to be the parent of a Savremena student. During my first encounter with the school management, when I asked about my child’s potential enrolment, I saw how much love, enthusiasm and professionalism you put in your work. I was impressed by your approach, ideas and methods. I couldn’t believe something like this existed in our country! It doesn’t take long to realise that this is a school you would recommend to everyone. Creativity, modern technology, top-quality education, and most of all, the humaneness that can be seen throughout the school, make it truly different and worthy of its name – Savremena Gimnazija. With such an approach, the success of this school and, consequently, our children’s success, is unavoidable. Congratulations! Jelena Đorđević, Andrija’s mum
Contemporary in any sense of the word, our school offers functional knowledge and quality preparation for tertiary education in Serbia and abroad. Implementing modern and creative teaching in the classroom, where the teachers’ pedagogy and students’ performance are aligned with the highest academic standards for the high-school finals, our school develops linguistic, mathematical, scientific, artistic, cultural, technical and ICT competence, which is a prerequisite for further education and professional development. Teaching is supported by the interactive whiteboards and educational software, whereas practice exercises research and critical thinking.