<div dir="ltr"><h1 class="gmail-post-tile entry-title">‘Use mother tongue as language of instruction’</h1>
<div class="gmail-mom-post-meta gmail-single-post-meta"><span class="gmail-author gmail-vcard">Posted By: <span class="gmail-fn"><a href="http://thenationonlineng.net/author/group/"> Odunayo Ogunmola</a></span></span><span>on: <time datetime="2017-04-06T00:00:09+00:00" class="gmail-updated">April 06, 2017</time></span><span>In: <a href="http://thenationonlineng.net/category/education/" title="View all posts in Education">Education</a></span><span><a href="http://thenationonlineng.net/use-mother-tongue-language-instruction/#respond">No Comments</a></span><div class="gmail-post-tools"><a rel="nofollow" class="gmail-print"><i class="gmail-fa-icon-print"> </i>Print</a><a href="mailto:?subject=%E2%80%98Use%20mother%20tongue%20as%20language%20of%20instruction%E2%80%99&body=%E2%80%98Use%20mother%20tongue%20as%20language%20of%20instruction%E2%80%99%20http://thenationonlineng.net/use-mother-tongue-language-instruction/" rel="nofollow" class="email"><i class="gmail-fa-icon-envelope"> </i>Email</a></div></div><div class="gmail-top-socialshare">
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<div class="entry-content"> <p>House
of Representatives member Oladipupo Adebutu, has advised the Federal
Government to make a credit pass in any indigenous language a
prerequisite for admission into tertiary institutions.</p>
<p>The lawmaker representing Ikenne/Shagamu/ Remo North Federal
Constituency also advocated the formulation of a comprehensive language
policy, if the country must improve in its education index and be set on
the path of technological advancement.</p>
<p>Adebutu, who spoke with reporters in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti state
capital at the weekend shortly after being conferred with a honorary
doctorate in Public Administration by the Ekiti State University (EKSU),
condemned the relegation of local languages as a medium of teaching,
especially in private schools.</p>
<p>According to him, researches had proved that using mother tongue as a
medium of instruction in schools in the early period remained the best
means of transmitting knowledge and achieving wholesome cognitive
development in children.</p>
<p>He said what the country has are disparate policy pronouncements on
language as contained in the 1999 Constitution and the National Policy
on Education (NPE).</p><div id="gmail-adcode">
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<p>He said: “It is tragic that some privately-owned primary and
secondary schools in the Southwest zone do not offer Yoruba as a
subject. In others, Yoruba is prohibited as a vernacular. This impairs
their creative potential because they are forced early in life to think
in a foreign language.</p>
<p>“A template to showcase that mother tongue education is the best for a
child’s cognitive development was given by a former minister of
education, Prof Aliu Babatunde Fafunwa between 1970 and 1989, through
the famous Ife Six-Year Primary Project. The government at all levels
should go and dust up the report of that project and see to its
implementation.’’</p>
<p>Adebutu continued: “In the comprehensive language policy being
canvassed, the Federal Government should meticulously assign greater
roles to the indigenous languages than they currently enjoy. This will
act as a catalyst for our national goal and aspiration of achieving
technological development.</p>
<p>“In addition, a credit pass in any indigenous language should be made
compulsory for admission into any higher institution in the country.
This will go a long way in changing the negative attitude of Nigerians
towards the indigenous languages. A credit pass in English for
admission into post-secondary school as we currently have it is good.’’</p>
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