Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, and other education stakeholders have called for the use of indigenous languages as the primary medium of instruction in the early stages of education.
They made the call at the 24th annual Fafunwa Educational Foundation Lecture in Lagos, themed, “What Does the Research Say? Mother Tongue Instruction and the Future of Early Education in Nigeria.”
Otti said research showing that children learn better through indigenous languages should encourage Nigeria to address challenges such as a shortage of qualified teachers fluent in local languages.
Lagos State Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Jamiu Alli-Balogun, said mother-tongue education was important for developing local content and providing children with a strong cultural and educational foundation.
The keynote speaker, Professor Francis Egbokhare of the University of Ibadan, said research had established the educational benefits of mother-tongue instruction, adding that Nigeria’s major challenge was implementation.
Egbokhare called for greater use of technology and stronger involvement of universities in developing indigenous languages and training teachers to teach in them.
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