Language
Education: Rescue Mission for Dying Mother Tongues
By Louis Okoro Ugbagha
In Nigeria, language education is now a
disappearing act from the school curriculum. Languages themselves are seen as
lackluster subjects that can only be offered if authorities force them down the
throat of very reluctant students. That way, they make up their subjects
selection with any language of their choice and may or may not write them in
any examination.
Nigeria has not strengthened its institutions
enough to rescue our waning mother tongues. For instance, the Coordinator and
Head of Institute, National Institute for Nigerian Languages (NINLAN), Dr
Azubuike Ikediashi recently told newsmen that the institute would be unable to
meet its goals in 2014 because it was not captured in the 2014 national budget.
Dr Ikediashi lamented the general neglect
the Institute suffers as a result of the ignorance of Nigerians on the
importance of indigenous languages and their roles in education, democracy,
business and self image. Indeed, we do not seem to care whether our language
dies or lives.
Meanwhile, in Nigeria today, there are the
French, Korea, Chinese and a host of other Cultural centres, including the
German Goethe Institute rendering one form of service or the other, but
surreptitiously indoctrinating our citizens on their culture and languages. The
reason is because these ‘big friends’ want to rule wherever they can through
their language and by registering their culture in the people’s sub-conscious.
