[lg policy] Nigeria: Taking intelligent advantage of foreign languages

Sun Jul 9 20:43:27 UTC 2017

Taking intelligent advantage of foreign languages
By Alabi Williams   |   09 July 2017   |   3:42 am

Once upon a time, there was deliberate and concerted effort by both states
and the Federal Government to teach French language in secondary schools.
That was a time when education was given prime treatment and policy and
funding. The money was not as huge as was experienced later, when oil
revenues yielded surplus, but the little that was available was put to good
use. The teaching of French language was encouraged, with subsidies
<https://guardian.ng/opinion/taking-intelligent-advantage-of-foreign-languages/#>
paid to those who take up the language as major course at higher education.
Students of foreign languages generally were encouraged to travel for
internship in countries of native speakers
<https://guardian.ng/opinion/taking-intelligent-advantage-of-foreign-languages/#>,
in order to gain more expertise.

But after a while, interest in French language and other languages waned
and it was no longer a major subject in schools. Expatriate teachers were
no longer encouraged to come into the country and teach. The case for
French was really sad, for a country that is surrounded by French speaking
countries of Cameroon, Niger and Benin Republic. Chad and others in central
Africa also speak French. The gains for Nigeria as first projected in the
first republic were meant to be enormous, both politically and in commerce.
Imagine a Nigeria of today where majority are good in French just as they
are in English language. Imagine the influence to be garnered among ECOWAS
neighbours and in the international community
<https://guardian.ng/opinion/taking-intelligent-advantage-of-foreign-languages/#>,
where bilingualism and multilingualism have yielded great advantage in
global commerce and international bureaucracy. But policy summersault and
refusal to fund education generally have been the bane of advancement in
all spheres.

The same policy flip-flop and parochialism is what has been demonstrated,
with the controversial new education curriculum put in place by the
Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC). As is usual
with the bureaucracy, undue secrecy over matters that require public
debates and inputs from stakeholders is what has put the NERDC on the
defence as the body struggled without much success to explain what the new
curriculum is all about and douse the ethnic and religious tension the
debate has generated.

The rumour that the Federal Government was enthroning a new education
curriculum to give upper hand to Islamic religious study, against Christian
religious study gained traction early 2016, but very little was done on the
part of policy makers to explain the details. At that time, the polity had
not degenerated to what it is now, where ultimatums are being issued for
some Nigerians to return to their places of origin. At that time, there was
still hope that President Muhammadu Buhari has come to do justice to
Nigeria, to address old sentiments and biases
<https://guardian.ng/opinion/taking-intelligent-advantage-of-foreign-languages/#>
that combine to frustrate national growth and development.

It was no less a man than Cardinal Olubunmi Okogie, the Archbishop emeritus
of Lagos who drew public attention to certain rumour that emanated from the
education ministry, to the effect that the new curriculum was about to be
adopted.

In the piece titled; We Are Watching: The Education Curriculum, the clergy,
well distinguished in his bluntness and forthrightness way back in April
2016, narrated what he gathered from the rumour mill. He started by saying
that the manner the country is configured allows for all manner of stories
and suspicions to be generated and circulated. He said: “We live in a
country where the rumour mills work relentlessly and unceasingly, a land
where conspiracy theories are never in short supply. There are rumour in
the air that a new curriculum of basic education is either about to be
adopted, or has already been adopted by the Federal Ministry of Education,
and that it is already being implemented.

“It is said that this curriculum, with the stated intention of merging
religion and national values, merges subjects like Christian Religious
Studies, Islamic Studies, Civi Education, Social Studies, and Security
Education into one compulsory subject; that this compulsory subject will be
taught to our children from Primary 1 to Junior Secondary School
<https://guardian.ng/opinion/taking-intelligent-advantage-of-foreign-languages/#>
3, that our young and impressionable minds will be taught in this
compulsory subject that Jesus neither died on the cross nor resurrected;
that all the children to be taught this subject would be required to
memorise and recite the Quran; that they (children) will be taught or are
being taught already that they may disobey their parents if they do not
allow them to become Muslim.”

The clergy proceeded to imagine that these were articles peddled by
mischief-makers and warned of their capacity to be destructive, especially
with the bourgeoning social media. But he equally warned of the damage to
be harvested should some persons in government attempt to author a
curriculum in the manner that was rumored.

He said: “If indeed such a curriculum is being implemented or is about to
be implemented then its authors and executors should seriously consider its
implications. It would be gravely imprudent to present Islam to a Christian
child in ways that devalue Islam. In same way, it would amount to grave
disservice to interreligious relationship if Christianity were to be
presented to a Muslim child in ways that devalue the teachings of
Christianity.”

That was April 2016. Today, those scary details that were rumored to be in
the new education curriculum seem not to be there anymore, or maybe they
have been watered down because of the flag raised by the eminent clergy and
others. What has become the bone of contention is the study of Arabic
language and fears that it would enhance propagation of Islam and give
undue advantage to adherents of that religion, while Christians and persons
of other religions would be shortchanged.

These fears are heightened due to past experiences, whereby each religion
and ethnic group works very hard to use state machinery to procure certain
advantages in favour of their religions. Since the collapse of regional
governments, centralization of administration and policies has enthroned
actions that tend to forcefully redistribute talent and resources. Religion
that was properly addressed as a private concern in the Constitution finds
its way back as the single most important determinant of state policy. In
other words, policies are deliberately skewed not to foster growth and
expansion of knowledge, but to gain religious advantages. That is how the
military administered the country for decades and that is where we are
still.

Otherwise, having Arabic language as a major course is a good source of
knowledge for Nigerians of all religions. There is great deal of
scholarship to be derived from knowledge of the Arabians. Great
philosophers of Arab origin have influenced Western knowledge and science
and that should have very little to do with religion. The Chinese are
spending resources to teach their language all over the world, not as a
tool of imperialism, but to be part of global inclusion. They want to
facilitate commerce and expand their economy. Many Nigerian languages are
going extinct and world language bodies are raising resources to help
conserve them. What has NERDC done about them? What programme of action
does NERDC have in place to enable Nigerian businesses take advantage of
Arabic language to explore the Middle East, apart from enhancing practice
of Islam?

We have seen enough of educational policies that did not enhance our
science and technology. What have we gained from the 6,3,3,4 system and the
advantages of middle level technical skills it promised? What about the
Nomadic education policy, for which budgets are still raised as of today,
yet, farmers and herdsmen are fighting everywhere? How far have we
consolidated on teaching WAZOBIA?

The language of science and technology is not about religion; it is not
Arabic, it is not Chinese. It is not even English. It is in the amount we
invest in education and research. Lagos State is encouraging teaching of
Chinese, for knowledge and competitiveness in global space. Those who work
very hard to stifle knowledge on the basis of religion are not doing
themselves any good. They will not go anywhere, but could succeed a while
to hold others back.
We can take advantage of all languages and be proficient in them. But let
religion remain where the constitution has consigned it.
https://guardian.ng/opinion/taking-intelligent-advantage-of-foreign-languages/
-- 
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