[lg policy] Nigeria: Use mother tongue as language of instruction

[Harold Schiffman]

‘Use mother tongue as language of instruction’
Posted By: Odunayo Ogunmola
<http://thenationonlineng.net/author/group/>on: April
06, 2017In: Education <http://thenationonlineng.net/category/education/>No
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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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

“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.’’

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.

“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.’’
http://thenationonlineng.net/use-mother-tongue-language-instruction/

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