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- advocates mother tongue for teaching
From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), said that future of Nigeria seems threatened due to the learning crisis currently being faced in the country particularly among children in basic education system.
The Commission said the growing learning crisis require immediate action to address, and otherwise might affect the chances of Nigeria to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
It, thus, recommended the adoption of mother tongue/language of immediate environment as medium of instruction in the lower classes in basic education.
Its Executive Secretary, Dr. Hamid Bobboyi, who spoke at a two-day stakeholders’ dialogue on reading initiative in the UBE programme and the use of mother tongue/language of immediate environment as medium of instruction, on Monday, in Abuja, said that evidences have shown that children at basic education level learn better and faster when they are thought in mother tongue.
He, therefore, urged stakeholders at the dialogue to frankly discuss and come up with actionable steps that will not only help UBEC but all stakeholders in ameliorating the situation.
He was unhappy that several interventions by the governments and international development partners to address the endemic issue have not yielded the expected result. “Despite the huge resources expended, the challenge remains.
“Several factors, such as lack of access to instructional materials, especially on the language of the immediate environment, poor teaching quality, insufficient parental guidance and lackadaisical attitude of States towards implementing the language policy on the use of mother tongue/ language of immediate environment as medium of instruction in the lower classes in basic education seem to be responsible for these challenges.
“Instructively, foundational learning is critical to the development of productive citizenship, sustainable development, national cohesion, as well as peace and prosperity. The call for dialogue on these important issues cannot therefore be overemphasized,” he said.
The UBEC boss, thus made reference to a reports by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and the United Nations Children’s Fund, (UNICEF) which indicated that, approximately, three out of four children of basic education age, 6 to14 years, in Nigeria could neither read a text with understanding nor solve simple mathematics problems.
“UBEC is seriously concerned about this learning crisis. However, we are undaunted by the challenge, and that is why we are frontally confronting the situation. One of our strategies is harvesting ideas from stakeholders and using them to prepare roadmaps for turning things around,” he said.
Executive Secretary of Nigeria Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC), Prof. Ismail Junaidu, in his keynote address, advocated the implementation of the National Language Policy which prescribed the use of mother tongue or language of immediate environment as medium of instruction in basic schools for children up to primary six.
He challenged communities being the custodians of the culture to step in and complement the effort of government, adding that the Council was ready to provide technical assistance to all languages.
The NERDC boss, however, lamented the apathy and lack of political will as well as shortage of language teachers, low capacity and inadequate funds to implement the policy.
UNICEF Education Manager, Munamuzunga Sikaulu, also suggested more actions than talk as way out of the learning crisis Nigeria is facing, emphasizing that adoption of mother tongue for teaching and learning in basic education system has proven to be best way out of the learning crisis in basic education levels.
