NAN-H-110
Reform
By Modupe Seriboh
Ibadan, March 10, 2017 (NAN) Herbert Igboanusi, a Professor of Socio-linguistics and Igbo Stylistics, Faculty of Arts, University of Ibadan, has suggested a reform in Nigeria’s education system built on mother tongue language.
Igboanusi made the suggestion at his Inaugural Lecture held at the Trenchad Hall of the university in Ibadan. The lecture was entitled: “The Conflicts and Politics of Language”
According to him, when the education of a child begins with the mother tongue, the child is likely to succeed academically and better able to learn additional languages.
He said the politics of bilingual education in primary schools had a direct impact on the performances of students in secondary and tertiary levels of education.
He identified socio-political factor as one of the obstacles against the successful implementation of bilingual education programmes.
“Rather than educational or linguistic in nature the socio-economic obstacles are related to the perception of the two or more languages involved in bi-multilingual education,” he said.
He said that in spite of the constitutional guarantee for bi-multilingual education in Nigeria, the policy was no longer being implemented in the southern part of Nigeria as well as the minority group in the north.
“In other words, while Hausa is used as a medium of instruction to teach all subjects, English Language is the only medium of instruction in southern Nigeria,” he said.
Igboanusi questioned the continued use of English Language as the sole medium of instruction in schools in Nigeria, given the declining performance of students in English Language at all levels.(NAN)
MAM/JI/AFA
Editing by Joseph Idika/Felix Ajide