• Stakeholders renew push for adoption of native languages in schools
From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and some of its partners, including USAID, have begun a push for the formal adoption of mother-tongue language for teaching and learning in the Nigerian school system, particularly in basic education.
This, perhaps, was in response to growing rates of poor literacy and numeracy among children in basic schools, amid a growing number of out-of-school children in Nigeria.
UNICE’s research indicated that children learned better and understood more when they were taught in their mother-tongue language, particularly science subjects, in the early stage of life, while second languages were gradually introduced later in life. Reports said 70 percent of pupils in basic schools, especially in northern Nigeria, were not learning, in terms of basic literacy and numeracy.
UNICEF Nigeria chief of education, Saadhna Panday-Soobrayan, said there was need to immediately scale up foundational literacy and numeracy in Nigeria: “Millions of children are lost, in interest and attendance, along the way of basic education system due to language barrier.”
She made reference to developed countries like China and Japan, where teaching in mother tongue was adopted in their basic education system, which evidently improved the literacy and numeracy level of the young ones:
“Studies and evidence across the world have shown that when you teach children in mother-tongue language especially at age one to three, they learn better and faster. The use of mother tongue language, unarguably, assists the children to acquire basic numeracy and literacy skills. You can then switch to second language slightly later in life. Obviously, improved results are often achieved with this approach.
“In addition, teachers should be trained to teach in local languages. There should also be books and other tutorial materials produced in local languages. These would go a long way in solving the literacy problems in Nigeria.”
A few years back, the late Prof. Babatunde Fafunwa, former Minister of Education and the first Nigerian professor in education, conducted research. He discovered that teaching and learning in mother tongue was highly effective, and the best language mechanism in impacting knowledge, especially in the early stages of life.
He said the research was able to prove that “language is an important vehicle of disseminating information and imparting knowledge. “Mother-tongue is the easiest and most accessible medium of teaching that facilitates quick understanding, comprehension and responses.”
UNESCO had declared February 21 of every year as International Mother Language Day. It said the day was to celebrate culture and linguistic diversity for sustainable society with the aim of promoting the languages and keeping them alive. Unfortunately, colonial masters imposed their languages on Africans and that affected the quality of the education system.
Stakeholders in education in Nigeria have maintained that adoption of foreign languages in Nigeria school system especially in basic education did more harm than good. They said the negative impact could be openly and mainly seen in the field of science and technology and other fields, hence the strong campaign for the formal adoption of mother language in schools for effective results.
Former Executive Secretary, National Commission for Nomadic Education (NCNE), Prof. Rashid Aderionye, explained: “The use of mother tongue in the basic education system is not new, particularly at basic classes one to three. It has been a section of the National Policy on Education.
“I could recall that late Prof. Fafunwa long before he became Minister of Education had experimented the use of mother-tongue language in teaching and learning in University of Ife now Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), in some primary schools in Modakeke, Ile- Ife. It was found to be perfect and meaningfully useful.
“The children that passed through the classes where mother language was used were found to understand learning process as what they taught were easy to know and to understand.
“The recent call is just a reminder to our policy makers to walk what they talk. Most countries that we referred to as developed countries still use their mother language to teach in basic education system.
“The relegation of our indigenous language to the background was the destructive work of our colonial masters. They had imposed their language on us whereas theirs are being used in schools and other engagements. Based on the research carried by the late Prof Fafunwa, the use of mother tongue aid and promote learning and understanding.
“It was found that children learn better and again parents back home found it easier in supporting their children in accomplishing their home work. Children found it easy to share their learning experience among their peers. It made the foundation easy to understand as they find what they were taught in upper class easier to relate.”
Auwal Ahmed Ibrahim, Department of Mass Communications, Kaduna Polytechnic, said: “Like several other developed countries, particularly in the field of science and technology, Nigeria can do very well if it copies from them. Research has shown that most developed countries, including Africa, adopt their mother tongues as formal languages of teaching.
“Nigeria took this step before and practiced it in 1980’s and it worked. Prof Fafunwa adopted the mother-tongue teaching instrument in Yoruba language and it worked excellently for the pupils under the research. Nigeria’s students will definitely do better if indigenous languages are formally adopted as teaching languages, while English Language can be taught as a subject like French.
“The major languages in Nigeria are three Igbo, Yoruba and Hausa. Each region can adopt the regional language as teaching language in Nigeria’s schools.”