Abia Teachers Advocate Use Of Mother Tongue In Teaching

Teachers and Education administrators in Abia State have called on the state government to begin training for them on the use of the Mother Tongue (Igbo) as a mode of instruction in primary schools.

The teachers who participated in a two-day capacity building with the theme “Innovative Techniques for Effective Teaching of Early Grade Children”, stressed that it is difficult to teach in a language that the majority of them can barely write properly.

The capacity building which was held at the Umuola Central School, Aba, Abia State, brought teachers from five primary schools in Aba North Local Government Area where a communique was issued to help the government in making policy statement.

The participating teachers (stakeholders) engaged in discussion and deliberations about the use of Mother Tongue as a mode of instruction for Early Grade Children.

The stakeholders further stressed that educating Early Grade Children with their Mother Tongue helps to impact lasting knowledge on them and help them to learn faster.

As gathered, the programme was held under the Early Child Learning Advancement Programme (E-CLAP) of Sterling One Foundation (SOF) of the Sterling Bank PLC which engaged the Civil Society Action Coalition on Education for All (CSACEFA).

At the end of the seminar, the stakeholders and participants reached a resolution which they documented in a communique with nine points, which they insist should be made available to the government to help form policies that will make the use of the Mother Tongue as a tool for instruction in the primary schools very easy.

Some of the recommendations include Training and Re-training of all Primary School Teachers in Abia State on the Use of Mother Tongue (Igbo) for Teaching early-grade children.

The Stakeholders further recommended the “Training and Retraining of all Primary School Teachers on the Use of New Techniques and Technologies in Teaching and Learning.

“Translation of all Necessary Textbooks Needed for the Teaching of Early Grade Children Into Igbo Language to Help Teaching and Understanding and Make Materials Available.

“A Law By the Five South East Houses of Assembly, Making the Teaching and Learning of the Igbo Language Compulsory in all Private and Public Schools Within the Zone to Make Life Easier for Children Whose Parents May Easily Relocate at Any Time.

“Formation of Uniform Primary Schools Academic Curriculum by the Ministry of Education of the Five Major Igbo Speaking States to Make the Process Unique.

“Setting Up of a Regulatory Body on the Compulsory Use of Mother Tongue in Teaching Early Grade Children to Ensure Strict Adherence to the Rules in Government and Private Schools.

“Setting Up of Annual Award/Reward Ceremony to Honour Schools That Excel in the Use of Mother Tongue in Teaching Early Grade Children.

“Extension of the E-CLAP Capacity Building to Other Local Governments in Abia State as Well as Other Igbo Speaking States in the South East to Create More Awareness on the Move.”

They equally called for an increase in the remuneration of primary school teachers who they stressed are very much neglected across the country without looking into their roles as the foundational teachers who help children to have an academic focus.

The stakeholders commended SOF for E-CLAP and equally thanked CSACEFA for their unrelenting efforts in education intervention and also urged the state government to provide visual aids and gadgets to sustain this move for innovative techniques in the Foundation classes.