THE Solomon Islands National University (SINU) is making significant progress toward establishing a Centre for Linguistics, having secured the expertise of Dr. Alphaeus Zobule and Dr. Debra McDougall as Adjunct Professors in SINU’s Faculty of Education and Humanities (FEH).
SINU Vice-Chancellor, Professor Transform Aqorau announced the exciting news to SINU staff this week, stating that the appointment of the duo is a critical step in the establishment of SINU’s Centre for Linguistics which aims to preserve and study the rich linguistic diversity of Solomon Islands.
According to the VC, Prof. Aqorau, the Centre will also contribute to the development of language policy and education programmes that support the use of indigenous languages in schools and other public institutions.
Dr. McDougall and Dr. Zobule will assist FEH in reviewing and developing teacher education courses, particularly in the areas of pedagogy, curriculum, and assessment.
They will also support the establishment of a partnership between SINU and the Kulu Language Institute, which will focus on promoting the use of local vernacular languages in early childhood education.
Additionally they will conduct capacity-building workshops for SINU faculty on academic writing and research methodologies. Furthermore, they will supervise and mentor postgraduate research students in the areas of linguistics and language education. Finally, they will help lead collaborative research projects on language policy and education in the Solomon Islands, with the goal of producing joint research papers or policy briefs that can inform government policy.
As rightly stated by the VC,Prof.Aqorau, “The establishment of the Centre for Linguistics at SINU is an important milestone in our efforts to preserve the linguistic heritage of the Solomon Islands and to promote the use of indigenous languages in education.”
He further stated that, “The Centre will also provide valuable opportunities for research and collaboration with other academic institutions in the region.”
The Dean of the Faculty of Education and Humanities, Dr. Patricia Rodie, welcomed Dr. Zobule and Dr. McDougall, expressing that the faculty is eager to collaborate with them to ensure that SINU’s Centre for Linguistics meets its goals.
