Category: Education

Executive Secretary,  National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof. Abubakar Adamu Rasheed, has restated the commitment of the commission towards ensuring that the graduates of the university system are of quality and globally competitive.

He noted that the new Core Curriculum and Minimum Academic Standards (CCMAS) launched recently was comparable in content to similar curricula in the best university systems in the world and relevant to Nigeria’s socio-cultural context.

Rasheed spoke during the launch of (CCMAS) as part of events marking the 60th anniversary of the establishment of National Universities Commission (NUC).

He noted that this would address the knowledge and skills gaps in the curriculum it was replacing, explaining that while providing 70 per cent of core curriculum as minimum for all Nigerian universities, it allowed institutions to “customise and bespoke the curriculum by adding 30 per cent of courses to reflect their uniqueness of mission and contextual peculiarities”.

According to him, the new curriculum placed emphasis on entrepreneurship, practical rather than theoretical knowledge and skills and the development of 21st century skills.

He added that in line with contemporary global practice, there was the change of nomenclature from Benchmark Minimum Academic Standards (BMAS) to Core Curriculum and Minimum Academic Standards (CCMAS).

He said: “In consonance with emerging development globally, the curriculum is to stimulate blended learning in its delivery, strategically configured to produce future-fit graduates and provides essential foundations for lifelong learning.

“Nurtures deep thinkers and problem solvers and graduates, who are highly skilled in their professions and disciplines as well as encourages interdependencies of disciplines.”

•Oyetola’s CoS to graduands: partisan politics good for you

 

Popular filmmaker Mr. Tunde Kelani; an industrialist Basorun Kola Daisi; renowned political scientist Prof. Alaba Ogunsanwo; famous historian Prof. Toyin Falola, Prof. Gabriel Falade,  and business mogul Chief Omololu Alakija have been honoured with doctoral degrees (honoris causa) by the Lead City University, Ibadan.

The Monday’s ceremony, which was for postgraduate students, rounded off the three-day 15th convocation ceremonies of the institution.

While Kelani was honoured for his outstanding contribution to the film industry, Daisi and Alakija were honoured for their excellent achievements in the world of business. Falola, Falade and Ogunsanwo earned the honour for distinguishing themselves in their academic careers.

The university’s Vice Chancellor, Prof. Kabiru Adeyemo, said the awardees were found worthy of the honour because of the unblemished years of serving as role models in the society.

He also admonished the graduands to be good ambassadors of the institution and be agents of change.

Adeyemo said: “Having obtained a postgraduate degree, you are properly positioned and equipped to face the challenge of transforming the society through acquired knowledge and competencies.

“However, the journey might be rough, as you will encounter many new and diverse experiences, hence, I am with upmost confidence that you can tackle each situation and excel with astuteness, and resilience. Be courageous, confident and believe in yourself as you have been adequately prepared with the skills and knowledge you acquired here for the future. Go into the world and be an agent of change you wish to see, take charge and lead!

“I also charge you to endeavour to galvanise the growth of our national economy with your dynamism and creativity. You are born to be leaders and transform Nigeria and the world into a better place.”

Delivering the convocation lecture entitled: ‘Interrogating Japa: Youth and Talent Exodus, National Development in Uncertain Times,’ the Chief of Staff (CoS) to Mr. Adegboyega Oyetola, who is the immediate past Osun State governor, Dr. Charles Akinola, explained that educated youths must develop interest in partisan politics to ensure that those in the corridors of power are capable and are there only to serve the people.

He said the sad situation is that Nigeria is being governed by those who are less capable, and who have ulterior motives for acquiring political power.

Akinola said the situation could only be reversed when highly educated youths begin to participate in the political process and get to positions where they would demonstrate their skills and capacity to accelerate Nigeria’s development.

His words: “I challenge you to pay more than casual attention to politics. This is because our lives and nation depend on it. Irrespective of whatever sector you play, party politics provides the most significant platform to impact lives on a large scale and in the quickest way possible. Sadly, this is one sector we have practically abandoned to many, whose interest, often times, is for their own puerile and selfish end.

“As a player in the political space, one of my discoveries, sadly, is that those who are in governance are not usually our first 11, not even the second, third, or fourth-best 11. It is a tragedy that while our best minds – the first 11 – are sitting idly as spectators, the other ‘undesirable’ elements among us have taken over the ‘playing fields! So, in many instances, what you have is a crisis of capacity, integrity, values, and orientation, which makes it difficult for the government to deliver satisfactorily on the urgent needs of society.

“That, of course, is a far cry from our national experience during pre-independence and the First Republic where those who led us were largely the brightest and the most gifted people of their era. Consider the Obafemi Awolowo government, for instance. Apart from being the best in his class and could easily compare to any world-class leaders, like Lee Kuan Yu and the rest, he also assembled a team that paraded the best of professionals in various sectors. The result of such an A-list class was that we had a leadership that was not only highly visionary, but was imbued with the capacity to deliver outstanding leadership to the people – to the extent that many decades after, we are unable to beat the standards they set.”

A total of 534 students graduated with postgraduate degrees from various faculties in the university.

The inability of state governments to fund early childhood development (ECD) centres, among other factors, has increased the numbers of out-of-school kids. FRANK IKPEFAN reports.

FIVE-year-old Abubakar Ibrahim sat under a tree. He stared into space, dejected and disappointed over where fate had left him. He watched as other children roamed  the expansive land housing Magaji Abdullahi Early Childhood Care Development (ECCD) Centre in Shagari Local Government Area, Sokoto State.

He was supposed to be in the facility learning. But, on the contrary, fate condemned him into playing in the sand. Indeed, Abubakar was in a school environment, but was not learning.

The boy was joined by another kid, a girl – Maimuna Mohammed. They both stared at the other kids who were on the playground during their break – an indication that their parents didn’t enrol them at the centre.

Like Abubakar and Maimuna, thousands of children in Nigeria, especially those from poor homes, are missing out on early childhood education.

The Federal Government, in 2007, introduced a National Policy for Integrated Early Childhood Development to guide the implementation of Early Childhood Education in Nigeria.

The aim of the policy was to ensure that children in their formative years received all- round care that would help the cognitive, physical, social, moral, and emotional development of the child.

The policy entails using a multi-sectoral approach comprising education, health, nutrition and protection to nurture and teach children within 0-5 years in a classroom environment.

Experts warned that whenever children are deprived of quality primary education, they are at risk of having a damaged foundation.

A future on a shaky ground

But figures from the Multiple Indicators Cluster Survey (MICS 2021) showed that a lot of children in Nigeria are being denied this basic foundational development by not receiving early childhood education.

According to the MICS, only 35.6 per cent of children aged 36-59 months receive early childhood education in Nigeria.

At least 10 million children are not enrolled, the United Nations Children’s Fund said.

Children from the north are on the receiving end of this, leading to fears that Nigeria may just be arming another set of out-of-school children to join the ones already on the streets.

The data showed that states like Borno (10.1), Bauchi (5.6), Sokoto (5.9),  Zamfara (3.8); Yobe (5.3), Kebbi (3.5) and Katsina (9.7) have low early education enrolment rates that are between three per cent and 10 per cent.

According to the MICS 2021, only 11.9 per cent of children aged 36-59 months from the Northeast are in early childhood education classes; 12.8 in the Northwest; and 38.0 in Northcentral.

This is compared to 74.5 in Southwest; 72.3 in Southeast and 68.1 in the Southsouth region.

Country Director, Early Childhood Development Initiative, Dr. Amy Panyi, said there was a need for parents to enrol their children for early childhood education.

She said: “That child’s right to education has been denied him. They are the ones we call the street boys – the Almajiris who we are trying to rehabilitate and bring back to school. There are some of them; based on culture that will stay at home until they reach a certain age.

“Enrolling these children in school still depends on the community leaders. When they come to PTA meetings, they can enlighten the parents about bringing their children to school. They can also check their neighbourhood to see if there are parents that their children are not in school. They should try to educate them because it is a role for all of us to play to ensure that children are not denied the right to be in school.”

How poverty, ignorance of parents deny  children of early education

Early childhood education is an aspect of basic education. It covers the pre-primary stage of the child and prepares the child for the formative years.

The Federal Government, through the Universal Basic Education Commission, set aside certain per cent of funds for this purpose. The states, through the State Universal Basic Education Boards, are expected to use these funds to develop ECD centres in their states.

The funds are expected to be used to build structures for ECCD, provide learning materials for pupils and teachers and capacity development for ECD teachers.

Despite basic education being free for the first nine years, ignorance of parents, poverty and economic status of some families have kept most children out of early education classes.

For example, figures from the MICS 2021 showed that only 11. 3 per cent of children aged 36-59 months from poor homes are attending early childhood education; compared to 75.2 per cent of children within the same age bracket from rich homes.

While 22.7 per cent of children aged 36- 59 months for second class income earners are enrolled in early childhood centres; 39.9 per cent for children from middle income homes are attending ECD classes and 58.7 per cent for children from fourth income homes.

An Early Childhood Educator, Confidence Okonkwo, said: “The reasons most of our children are not in ECD classes is because of poverty, economic status of the family, the educational level of the parents – some don’t know the importance of early childhood education.

“Most parents from this side (North) do not know the importance of early childhood development while some because of religion do not send their children to school. Rather, they send them to Islamiyya – they leave their children in the hands of Mallams. From there the children may not even come back to their parents.

“Also, the economic status of some parents; poverty is another reason why some parents don’t send their children to school. Inasmuch as education is free, most parents do not yet understand this.”

In Sokoto, awareness on early childhood education still low.

Data from the MICS showed that awareness on early childhood education was still low in Sokoto State.

According to the figure, only 5.9 per cent of children aged 36 – 59 months are enrolled in early childhood centres in the state.

Director, Early Child Care Development, Sokoto State SUBEB, Faruk Umar said: “Some parents are still to reach them. There need to be awareness creation so that parents and community members are fully informed on the importance of education.

“That is why we have our medium term strategy – a plan for basic education in the state. In the last two weeks, we were in a meeting for five days where we reviewed the plan and incorporated a lot of sensitisation activities under the ECCD to ensure that more awareness is created in the ECCD sub-sector.

“In each of our primary school, there supposed to be ECD centres.”

Also, the Country Director, Early Childhood Development Initiative, said: “The state should arrange and pay parents who don’t bring their children to the centres to find out why because some of them may not have the little token they are supposed to pay. I know most of the schools are free but at the same time, there is supposed to be a follow-up within the community.

“The headmistress or the person in charge of the school should try to do some community awareness; tell them when children should come to school.”

UNICEF: weak coordination, poor funding reducing gains of early childhood education

The UNICEF Sokoto Chief of Field Office, Mrs. Maryam Darwesh, said low awareness and understanding of the importance of ECD, poor articulation and clarity of the policy, weak coordination among relevant agencies and poor funding have reduced the gains expected from the Federal Government’s policy.

Darwesh explained that children who go through ECD activities are more successful in school later on and are more competent socially and emotionally.

She noted that such children exhibit higher verbal, intellectual and physical development in early childhood than those who are not enrolled formally in such programmes.

Darwesh said: “UNICEF considers early childhood the most rapid and critical period of development in human life. Development of the brain in the early years is a pathway that affects physical and mental health, learning, and behaviour throughout the life cycle.

“Although individual children develop at their own pace, all children progress through an identifiable sequence of physical, cognitive and emotional growth.”

Give priority to early child education, expert tells govts

UNICEF Education Specialist, Yetunde Oluwatosin, emphasised the need for leaders to prioritise early childhood education in the country.

She warned that early childhood as a critical period can make or mar a child’s economic outcome and contribution to society, stressing that the period must be consciously developed to contribute to the child’s early transformation.

Speaking at the Media Dialogue on Early Child Education (ECE) in Nigeria organised by the Child Rights Information Bureau (CRIB) of the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture in collaboration with UNICEF, Oluwatosin said: “Research has shown that children who attend ECE perform better in academics and have greater earning potential as they grow over the years.”

Oluwatosin, however, warned that the challenges of early childhood education in Nigeria are systemic, especially, considering the quality of the workforce, teaching and learning materials or even infrastructure.

“In Nigeria, only one in three children, totalling 36 per cent, attend early childhood classes but at least 10 million children are not enrolled.

“It has been observed that large inequalities persist between the poorest children and the richest children’s ECE attendance rate translating to eight per cent and 87 per cent.

“What this means is that children of the rich continue to take advantage of the benefits of ECE for greater performance in future while children of the poor remain passive,” she said.

She advocated a child-centred method and space to be given to learners to thrive.

“We also need to strengthen the roles of parents as the first educator of the child, provide adequate funding for pre-primary education, build the capacity of teachers and provide adequate curriculum for ECE.

“If you look at it, from the 2018 National Personnel Audit (NPA) of BEC, we have over seven million learners but 154,000 teachers.

“This pupils/teachers ratio is low and we must do something to improve this. This disparity is there and we are still far behind in achieving the SDG goals,” she added.

*Reporting done as part of YouthHubAfrica Basic Education Media Fellowship 2022.

Grace Schools, Gbagada in Lagos has been awarded the British International School Award for the third consecutive period.

The award is based on the successful completion of international Schools Award Portfolio Assessment of on the school’s international work by the British Council.

The International School Award rewards schools that have shown a commitment to embedding international awareness and understanding within their school.

Schools are encouraged through British Council support in completing collaborative, curriculum-based work with a number of international partner schools, involvement of the wider community.

It helps schools to learn of new ways to develop and embed international education in schools. The International School Award is available in 16 countries and is well-regarded by school inspection bodies .

The Project Officer, Schools Education, British Council, Nene Ogunade, commended Grace Schools for its successful completion of the assessment.

The British Council further urged Grace Schools to deploy the award on all Marketing and promotional channels of the school. The ISA team lauded Grace Schools for attaining the great achievement and urged the school to continue in its

With its outstanding success in the International work, The scheme kite mark, which is a key part of the Award, which is symbol of the British ISA would feature on all the school Literature, website and other branded collaterals of the school.

Read Also: Grace school recommits to teachers’ well-being, capacity development

The Director, Grace Schools, Mrs Tokunbo Edun said Grace Schools are reinventing the rules to offer qualitative educational service delivery.

She said it is strategic vision for the schools to develop robust and vibrant curriculum in order to remain a globally acclaimed citadels of learning.

According to her: “Winning the International Schools Award for the third consecutive period attests to the unwavering commitment of Grace Schools to remain dynamic and forward looking educational establishment”

She said Grace Schools are poised to sustain the pedigree of excellence and innovation in all its ramifications.

She said Grace Schools are synonymous with excellence and the British Council ISA further validates the focus of the school in remaining focused on creativity and qualitative learning experience for the students.

Edun asserted further that Grace Schools have strong edge in superior service delivery and the schools have never waivered form developing holistic learning approach for the students.

According to her, the schools also have a robust manpower development strategy which translates to excellence for the school

LANRE Awolokun Senior High School, Gbagada, Lagos has emerged the overall winner in the finals of the Inter-Secondary Schools Quiz Competition organised by nine clubs in Rotary International District 9110 in Ikeja.

They are Rotary clubs of Gbagada South, Gbagada, Ikorodu Metropolitan, Ikorodu Golden, Ewutuntun, Onigbongbo, Owutu Isawo, Somolu and Ikate.

Ten schools took part in the contest. While Kosofe High School won the silver trophy, Ogudu Grammar School lifted the bronze. Three contestants were drawn from each school and were tested in Mathematics, English language, current affairs, the sciences, economics and Information Communication Technology (ICT).

President, Rotary Club of Gbagada South, Lanre Akosile, expressed satisfaction with the contest. He said they embarked on the competition because basic education is a core area of Rotary and that it is their objective to assist the government to boost education.

The coordinator of the quiz, Rotarian Afolabi Olusanu, said for the first time the overall winner team would get laptops, while others would get phones, scientific calculators and T-shirts. He thanked the RI District 9110 Governor Mrs. Omotunde Lawson for providing exercise books to the participants.

Earlier, Mrs. Lawson said the aim of the competition should not be only in winning, but also in taking part in it. “The spirit to accept defeat is important. It does not make you less important or knowledgeable,” Mrs. Lawson, a retired school principal, added.

She advised the pupils: “It is he who says I can that wins.”

The participating schools include: Lagos State Civil Service Model School, Adigbeja Senior High School, Evan Adelaja Senior Girls High School, Oriwu Senior High School, Ikosi Senior High School, and Odogiyan Senior Grammar School.

Past District Governor (PDG) Wale Ogunbadejo, who pioneered the quiz competition, presented the trophies to the winners.

A NON-profit organisation, Personal Hygiene and Tree Planting Network, has organised debate for secondary schools in Lagos to promote safe tree planting.

Speaking on the theme ‘Abiyamo-mothers save mother earth’, the founder of the organisation, Oluwaseun Ajayi, reiterated the need for safe tree planting.

“The initiative is a trans-generational task to combat actions facilitating climate change.

“Tree planting is one of the tools we are adopting through identified opportunities around us that is left unused,” he said.

Eleven secondary schools across three districts in the state participated in the exercise, on the topic: “Tree planting is the best extra-curricular activity in the world”.

Oreyo Senior High School, Okeodo Senior High School, Oriwu Model College and Lagos State Model College were selected for the final stage of the competition next year.

Vice Chancellor, University of Jos, Prof. Tanko Ishaya, has argued that the last eight-month strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) would have been prevented, if the vice chancellors and governing councils were allowed to handle the lingering issues.

He noted that those Nigerian universities could handle their problems, if given autonomy.

Speaking to reporters at the university’s Council Chamber, as part of the activities marking his one year in office, Ishaya explained that the only way to halt future occurrences of the ASUUU strike is to give autonomy to the universities as enshrined in the Act establishing them.

“The last strike was avoidable, and if the last strike was allowed to be handled by the provosts and councils, I can assure you that the strike won’t probably last for a week. Let the government address the issue of education.

“If everyone is serious and sincere about education, most of these problems will be addressed. If the government wants to fund education, let it provide adequate funding. If the government is not funding education 100 per cent, let it come out and tell Nigerians that it can only fund 50 per cent of it and let Nigerians provide the remaining 50 percent. Then, we would now begin to look at ways we can support students who cannot support themselves,” he said.

Ishaya also stated that “no work, no pay”, as applied by the Federal Government during the recent ASUU strike was not something that should be applied to the academic staff and the university environment.

“No work, no pay is not something that can be applied to the university environment in terms of a strike. The responsibility of the academic staff is summarised in terms of academic and other activities; the academic also does administrative work.

“We have appealed to the Committee of Vice Chancellors and Council for consideration in this regard because they have been working from home,” he said.

On the achievements recorded by the university under his watch in the last one year, the vice chancellor said despite the strike by the unions, some teaching staff and relevant units were gainfully engaged in research activities that yielded positive outcomes for the university, adding that through their activities, they were able to attract research grants and funds.

He added that 90 per cent of undergraduate programmes in the university were granted full accreditation status by the National Universities Commission. The percentage, he added, was an increase from the 57.3 per cent of programmes with full accreditation status in the university before the last exercise.

The vice chancellor noted that one of the greatest achievements within the period was the successful induction of the first graduands from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, adding that the university would leave no stone unturned in ensuring consolidate on the achievements recorded.

Recently, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved the use of mother tongue as a mandatory medium of teaching in primary schools. Interestingly, the policy is gaining support from Nigerians. But experts have cautioned the government on its implementation. Bola Olajuwon, KOLADE ADEYEMI, Frank Ikpefan, Damola Kola-Dare and Victoria Amadi report

THE Federal Executive Council (FEC), through the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, recently approved the use of mother tongue as a mandatory medium of teaching in primary schools.

According to the minister, the new policy would be used for the first six years of education (Primary one to six) and be combined with English Language from Junior Secondary School (JSS).

Adamu reiterated that the language of the host community would be the medium of instruction in primary education. He stated that the objective is to promote the cultivation and mastery of Nigerian languages.

However, Adamu noted that the directive would kick off immediately instructional materials are put in place.

Following the development, experts and educationalists have commended the adoption of the policy.

‘With adoption, we will truly develop as a nation’

A peace-building organisation, Foundation for Peace Professional, also known as PeacePro, yesterday commended the Federal Government for adopting mother tongue as language of instructions.

PeacePro also stated that expanding the concept of mother tongue, beyond the nation’s three major languages, is a truly inclusive policy for national educational progression.

In a statement by its Executive Director, Abdulrazaq Hamzat, the organisation said the policy is a welcome development because no truly advanced and developed nation attained such level of development educational wise without using their mother tongue as language of instructions for teaching.

According to Hamzat, even developing nations making progressive stride like China, India, AND Japan are doing so, with their mother tongue being the language of instructions in their schools. He noted that with the adoption of this policy in Nigeria, the country will, no doubt, advance the competence and understanding of its young population academically.

“Severally researchers, including the late Prof. Sophie Oyewole, established the nexus between mother tongue and comprehension in children and they worked all their lives to see Nigeria position itself on this developmental path and we are glad that the government finally saw reason to pursue this bold action in the interest of the nation,” Hamzat said.

Ogunbanjo: it should have been approved long ago

Deputy National President, Parent-Teacher Association of Nigeria, Chief Adeolu Ogunbanjo said: “It should have been approved long ago. It is a welcome development. We cannot erase language from culture. It will enable pupils to understand our culture and tradition better once they are being taught in mother tongue. It is also practicable because if a child goes to Japan, he must learn Japanese. Colleges of education will be needed to provide the needed personnel to carry it out. Germans and French understand English, but they won’t speak it in their country. They prefer to use their mother tongue. With this, our textbooks in Science and Mathematics should also be written in our mother tongue. The Federal Government should look towards that. Children have intelligence for language and it is a laudable move by the government.”

Chairman, Nigeria Union of Teachers, Lagos State Chapter, Mr. Hassan Akintoye, said: “We are getting it right gradually. If we think about it very well, we will realise that we have been dealing with symptoms rather than dwelling into the root of exam malpractice. The use of mother tongue to teach and to direct in the course of learning is the key. For example, when you talk about the Chinese and Japanese, they use their language to deliver skills and knowledge.The correlation between acquisition of knowledge and mother tongue is inseparable. Students cheat during examinations because of lack of clear cut understanding. This happens because of the medium of instruction used (English). Powerful nations across the world have been able to apply knowledge to solve human problems. Thus, technology is key. Better understanding comes through mother tongue. Hence, it is a great move.”

Vice Principal, African Church Model College, Ifako-Ijaiye, Lagos, Mr. Alao Sanusi, lauded the government for the move but decried lack of teachers who are proficient in mother tongue.

He said: “According to communication experts, communication is a two-way protocol. When a code is passed through a medium and the message is decided, then one can talk about a complete communication system.

“During teaching-learning activities, which involve passing instructions, it is essential to use a clear language, which can easily be understood by the learner.

“The importance of the mother tongue as a medium of instruction as postulated by Nigeria’s foremost educationist, Prof. Babatunde Fafunwa,  cannot be overemphasised.

“In like manner, the former Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, stated that if the Federal Ministry of Education concurs to the proposed initiative of using indigenous languages in teaching of mathematics and science in primary schools, it will bring clear understanding, growth and  development of indigenous technology.

“Fafunwa had said that a child learns best in his or her mother tongue, adding that ‘of all the continents and peoples of the world, it is only in Africa and perhaps in a few other ex-colonial countries that formal education is offered in a language that is foreign to the child’.

“He said in Europe, North America, Russia and China and in all other leading countries of the world, the child goes through his primary, secondary and university education in his mother tongue.

“However, as beautiful as this policy may appear, there are certain factors that will militate against it in Nigeria of today. The first challenge is non-availability of teachers, who could understand and able to speak the mother tongue proficiency and efficiency.

“In addition, most indigenous languages have been adulterated. Mother tongue has been polluted over the year; hence, it is no longer pure. This implies that for it to be used as a medium of conveying instructions in teaching-learning, it must be first purified.

“Also, perception of parents must be changed. Indigenous languages must never be regarded as vernacular anymore. Parents must be ready to speak indigenous language to their offspring.”

Yoruba World Centre pledges support

The International Centre for Yoruba Arts and Culture (Yoruba World Centre) has pledged to support the Federal Government on its new education policy.

The centre stated this in a letter of congratulations written to the Minister of Education.

In the letter, signed by the centre’s Coordinator, Ogbeni Alao Adedayo, the YWC said it upheld the scaling through of the proposal as one big achievement that would be recorded for the tenure of the minister, pleading that Nigerians should come together to see to the workability of the policy.

The centre, in its first reaction to this, maintained, “This is time for us to celebrate, because Nigeria  follows the ways of many developed nations.

“Using mother tongue for instructions at the early stage of the children has helped many nations of the world to develop and it is one of the obstacles facing our education sector in Nigeria as pupils taught with Foreign Language grow to fall in love with foreign cultures and ideas, abandoning anything indigenous, including the love for their own.

“At the Yoruba World Centre, we are very sure the Federal Government and Nigerians shall reap bountifully from this new policy with our resources, by bringing stakeholders together to ensure we all give a helping hand that will facilitate as all-round success for the implementation of the policy.”

USAID chief: a welcome initiative

 The Chief of Party of USAID Northern Education Initiative Plus, Mr. Nurudeen Lawal, said the initiative is one which the government would be glad it embarked on, adding that it would promote literature written in Nigerian mother tongues.

Lawal said: “This is something that has been long overdue. It is one of the best legacies the government is going to be leaving behind. We have a national language council in the country today, that spells out how the Nigerian languages should be placed against other languages that we call International Languages. And it emphasised that all languages are equally valued in Nigeria and they are national assets that we should protect.

“This policy makes it very easier this point in time for us to start looking inward into how we now start having authors and publishers publishing other subjects or books in local languages in Nigerian languages.

“Research found out about three levels: The first level is that when children come to school, they come to school with the language of their environment and when they have to start learning language to read, they need to be taught in that language that they already have the vocabularies; not in a new language. And that will ensure the children start having sense of succeeding in school and that will reduce dropping out from school, because children will have sense of success.

“The second level is that all of these things put together, we also see to it that children are able to read at the early primary grade. The third one, with the national reading framework and National Language Colleges, we see a situation whereby we can now start thinking of how we can assess reading in Nigeria, in such a way that we can compare ourselves with other countries of the world. Without a national reading framework, we cannot do that.

“It is really noble. It will so make it that, it will go all the way to primary six.”

‘Policy is not a new policy’

Professor Regina Plangnan Gowon, DVC (Academic), a Language educationist from the University of Jos with specialisation in literacy –  adolescent and medium literacy, said the policy is not new, insisting that it has been in existence, but the implementation differ from one region to another.

Gowon said: “In region where they speak one dominant language, the policy is implemented, especially in the Southwest, they use the Yoruba language as a medium of instruction in the lower primary.

“I’m yet to see what the Federal Government is talking about. But the policy in existence was that mother tongue should be used as a medium of instruction in the lower primary, but in the upper primary, that is where English will be used as a medium of instruction.

“I just heard in the media that the mother tongue be used in primary school. The question is: which of the primary schools?

“In fact, junior secondary school is another aspect of basic education. So, the message has to be clear as to where it will be applied, because English is already an official language in Nigeria – both in administration and in means of instruction.

 Advice on the policy

“It’s a good policy, but has to be handled with caution. There should be freedom for state with numerous languages to develop their own based on their peculiarity.

“Already, the three major languages – Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo – have made it compulsory in their schools, including junior secondary schools. So, the major languages are already been taught; it’s the smaller languages that are having challenges. So, the emphasis should be for smaller languages to develop their autography. We have observed a situation where major languages are trying to colonise the smaller languages; so they would not want these smaller languages to be taught.

“I encourage parents to start teaching their children their languages before they even begin school. The brain of children has been naturally programmed to learn many languages at the same time. They can learn your language, the English and any language they are exposed to at the same time.

“So, parents should take responsibility if they don’t want their mother tongue to go into extinction.

“As I said earlier, let us see the focus of what government is saying first, then we understand what they are talking about and we can advise appropriately.”

THE Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration will continue to deploy human and technological resources to improve quality of lives for special needs children and people, according to Lagos State governor’s wife, Dr. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, the Head of Service, Mr. Hakeem Muri-Okunola and Commissioner for Education Mrs. Folasade Adefisayo.

They spoke at the commemoration of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, which was organised by the Ministry of Education  at the Police College Grounds, Ikeja with the theme, “Transformative solutions for inclusive development: The role of innovation in fuelling an accessible and equitable word”.

Dr. Sanwo-Olu, who was represented by the wife of the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mrs. Funmilayo Omotosho, said: “It is on record that the Lagos State Government runs an all-inclusive educational sector in line with global best practices. The committee of wives of Lagos State officials remains committed to support campaigns to halt stereotypes against them.”

In his remarks, Muri-Okunola, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Local Government Establishment and Training, Mr. Abiodun Bamigboye, said: “Lagos State has a robust employment policy inclusive of people with special needs and the highest percentage in the mainstream public service and Local Government Service Commission.”

He outlined some of the state government’s initiatives as including marking of car parks and provision of ramps to make mobility easy for them.

Commissioner for Education listed the various innovative and transformative solutions introduced by the Sanwo-Olu administration as including regular capacity re-training of teachers in handling special children, increased partnership with the private sector to enhance the quality of living standard and massive enrolment drive of special needs children with the government’s vision to leave no child behind educationally.

“In fulfillment of Governor Sanwo-Olu’s promise to assist people living with disabilities in Lagos State to realise their dreams and live a more comfortable life, this government is empowering them in its determination to integrate them to be self-reliant, through formal and informal skills acquisition and to contribute their quota to the socio-economic and political development of the state.”