The Status of Nigerian Languages in Primary and Secondary Schools: The Way Forward

Abstract: Nigeria is a multilingual country. It has over five hundred indigenous languages. These languages are spoken mainly in the home domain, and serve the socio-cultural, political, health, economic as well as spiritual needs of the people who speak them. The importance of these languages is underscored by the fact that they serve as repositories of the culture, customs, norms and values of our societies as well as constituting an important resource and vehicle for national development. The Federal Government, in recognition of the importance of indigenous languages in national development, made provisions for their use in the constitution and the National Policy on Education (NPE). This paper examines the status of Nigerian languages in primary and secondary schools in relation to the provisions of the National Policy on Education. It discusses the adequacy or otherwise of the use of the mother tongue or the language of the immediate environment as the medium of instruction from pre-primary school through the first three years of primary school, with English featured as a school subject. A total number of one hundred (100) teachers at the basic education level in Aba metropolis were selected as participants for this research using the simple random technique. A 16-item questionnaire was administered to them for data collection. The findings showed that students prefer to be taught in their mother tongue and they usually achieve better learning outcomes when the medium of instruction is their mother tongue. It also revealed that the provisions of the indigenous language education contained in the National Policy on Education are not properly implemented by the majority of the teachers, and the government has not taken the implementation of the provisions any seriously. The findings further revealed that some of the factors militating against the use of Indigenous languages in Nigeria include: poor policy planning and implementation; teacher quality and inadequate curriculum materials. Recommendations were also made which include: that language policy as stated in the NPE document be revised by extending the use of the mother tongue or language of the immediate environment as the medium of instruction from pre-primary up to the end of primary school level. There should be a shift from what is obtainable presently towards the effective implementation of language policies of the NPE. The government as well as relevant, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), civil society organizations and local communities should collaborate to sponsor the study and standardization of local languages for inclusion and use as national languages.

ỤMỊ EDEMEDE: Naijiria bụ mba nwere ụbara asụsụ nke asụsụ agbụrụ ya dị iche karịrị narị ise. Imerime asụsụ agbụrụ ndị a dị na Naijiria bụ nke a na-asụ dịka asụsụ olu nne. E ji asụsụ ndị a eme ihe ndị metụtara omenaala na mmekọrịta mmadụ na ibe ya, ọchịchị, ahụike, okwu akụnaụba nakwa okpukperechi nke ndị mmadụ. Uru asụsụ ndị a bara na-apụta ihe nke ukwu n'ihi na e ji ha mere ka ebe nchekwa omenaala, ọdịnaala, mbamuru na ọdịbendị nke obodo anyị dị iche ma bụrụkwa akụ dị mkpa na-enye aka
maka mwulite obodo. Ya mere Gọọmenti Etiti, n'igosipụta ịdị mkpa nke asụsụ agbụrụ anyị dị iche dị na mwulite obodo, tinyere ya n'akwụkwọ iwu ozurumba nakwa n'akwụkwọ Atụmatụ Iwu Ozurumba ke Edukeshọn a kpọrọ National Policy on Education (NPE). Akwụkwọ nchọcha a na-enyocha ogo nke asụsụ agbụrụ ndị dị na Naijiria nọ na agụmakwụkwọ praịmarị nakwa sekọndịrị dịka arọpụtara ya n'ime Atụmatụ Iwu Ozurumba ke Edukeshọn. Ọ na-akparịta ụka banyere ozuzu maọbụ ezughị ezu nke iji olu nne maọbụ asụsụ ogbe akụzi ihe n'ụlọakwụkwọ ọtaakara rue afọ atọ butara ụzọ nke agụmakwụkwọ praịmarị, ebe e ji asụsụ Inglishi eme ihe dịka ihe ọmụmụ sọbjekti. Ọnụọgụgụ ndị nkụzi dị otu narị n'ogo agụmakwụkwọ dị ala n'obodoAba dị n'Abịa Steeti nke Naijiria ka a họrọ ime nchọcha a site n'ịgbaso usoro mfe nke inweta njatule. E nyere ha akwụkwọ njụmaza nwere ajụjụ 16 maka inweta ngwa nchọcha. Ihe ndị a chọpụtara na-egosi na ụmụ akwụkwọ ka nwe mmasị n'ịmụ akwụkwọ n'olu nne ha ebe ha na-eme nke ọma karịa mgbe e jiri olu nne akụziri ha ihe. Ihe nchọpụta na-egosikwa na ọtụtụ nrọpụta nke ọmụmụ asụsụ agbụrụ dị iche na
Naijiria nke dị n'ime Akwụkwọ Iwu Agụmakwụkwọ obodo anyị bụ nke ọtụtụ ndị nkụzi adịghị e tinye n'ọrụ otu o kwesiri, tinyere na gọọmenti ejighi ntinye n'ọrụ nke nrọpụta ndị a niile kpọrọ ihe. Ihe ndị ọzọ achọpụtakwara na-adọla azụ iji asụsụ olu nne akụzi ihe gụnyere: atụmatụ na ntinye n'ọrụ iwu agụmakwụkwọ na-erijughị afọ, enweghị ọtụtụ ndị nkụzi azụrụ azụ nke ọma n'asụsụ agbụrụ dị iche nakwa mmebe ihe ọmụmụ asụsụ agbụrụ na-erijughị afọ. Enyere ntụziaka ndị gụnyere: ka emegharịa atụmatụ iwu asụsụ nke NPE site n'ịgbatịkwu iji olu nne maọbụ asụsụ ogbe akụzi ihe n'ụlọakwụkwọ ọtaakara rue na ngwụcha agụmakwụkwọ praịmarị. E kwesiri inwe mgbanwe pụọ n'ọnọdụ dị ugbua banyere ntinye n'ọrụ dị ire maka atụmatụ iwu asụsụ niile nke NPE. Gọọmenti tinyere ụlọọrụ n'abụghị nke gọọmenti na otu ndị nkịtị dị iche nakwa ime obodo dị iche kwesiri ịgbakọ aka kwado ọmụmụ na
ndịnotu nke asụsụ agbụrụ dị iche maka iwebata ma tinye ha n'ọrụ dịka asụsụ ozurumba.