Teaching in mother tongue’ll boost Nigeria’s devt – Publishers

The president and chairman-in-council of the Nigerian Publishers Association (NPA), Dr Uchenna Cyril Anioke, has said the approval granted by the federal government for the teaching of primary school pupils in the mother tongue will boost the advancement of science and technology in the country.

 Anioke noted in a statement that with the move, the country would be on its way to joining global powers that have advanced in science and technology, as well as medicine as the pupils will assimilate better in their mother tongue than English.

The president of the umbrella body of publishers in the country commended the federal government for granting the approval, saying it is timely and a way to advance the education sector.

He said, “There is abundant evidence to show that nations who teach and publish books in their local languages are advantageously positioned than those who rely entirely on the English language. India, which today has become a choice place for medicine, teaches and publishes more in the mother tongue than English language.

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“China is a developed country and leads in construction and infrastructure. They hardly speak English and all their books are in their local language. In Indonesia, which is also a developed country, teaching and learning are conducted in an indigenous language.

“Nigeria can actualise this, and as an association, we welcome the policy of teaching in an indigenous language in the first six years of the pupils’ education. It is in tandem with our prolonged appeal,” he said.

Recall that the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, had on Wednesday announced the approval at end of the Federal Executive Council at State House, Abuja.