A group, the Civil Society and Government Partnership (CSGP), has urged the Kwara State House of Assembly to enact laws that will support use of local languages in primary schools in the state.
The group addressed reporters in Ilorin, the state capital on the outcome of its research on “The Preferred Language of Instruction in Schools and Uneven Distribution/Redeployment of Teachers.”
It also canvassed the employment of qualified teachers who are indigenes of rural communities where schools are located.
Spokesperson for the group, Hajia Nimat Labaika, explained that many children across sampled schools were not learning much because of the language barrier between them and their teachers, hence the need to enact language policies that will take account of local language learning especially from primary 1 to 3.
“It is a practice that leads to limited or non-existent-learning and acquisition of knowledge and skills, alienating experiences and high drop-out and repetition rates,” said Labaika, who is Kwara State and North-central Coordinator for the Civil Society Action Coalition on Education for All (CSACEFA).
Forty-two communities in 12 local government areas were covered by the study. It included 382 community members who are not members of School Based Management Committee (SBMC), 232 SBMC members, 262 school children and 184 teachers.
She said: “From the result gathered, 78 percent of interviewed children and 78 percent of teachers said that the use of local language would boost children’s academic performance. Some of the teachers who preferred to stick to English Language as the language of instruction also acknowledged that the use of local language will improve performance.
“This position supports the notion that teachers preference for English is largely due to personal reasons and not reflection of what they think is best for pupils. However, 81 percent of parents believe that the use of local language will not improve children academic performance. The parents’ opinion is anchored on the limited knowledge of the technicalities attached to the teaching and learning and thereby affecting their opinion on how the process can be best improved.
“Surprisingly, finding s show that some Fulani communities also chose Yoruba because they were born there and the only language they understand is Yoruba. They do not understand their original language (Fulfude). Only 15 percent of the respondents chose Fulfulde and these are parents who live in nomadic Fulani communities.”
The group asked the state government to ensure that one teacher who could speak the local language be posted to each nomadic school in the state, and that teachers employed by the SBMC or Parent Teachers Association (PTA) who possesses relevant qualification in rural schools be absorbed to fill the existing gaps in the system.
The group also recommended an upward review of the rural allowance for teachers posted to rural schools from the current rate of N200 per month to at least N5, 000 per month and that the existing policy which makes it mandatory for newly recruited teachers to stay for a minimum of two years and a maximum of five years in any school they are posted to should be strictly followed.
Although she acknowledged great improvement in the state of schools in the state with the injection of about N390 million by SBMC and others over a four year period, Labiaka said more still needed to be done by the government in dealing with the deplorable condition of primary schools in rural areas.
