UBEC and NERDC move towards introducing a national language policy for basic education

Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) and Nigeria Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) has developed the National Reading Framework (NRF) to implement the national language policy for use in primary schools.

One of the highlights of this policy, approved by the Federal Executive Council in 2022, is the use of the mother tongue as the language of instruction in primary schools across the country.

NERDC Deputy Director Garba Gandu presented the framework to stakeholders during a two-day dialogue on 'Reading Initiatives in UBE Programs and the Use of Mother Tongue/Language of Direct Environment as a Medium of Instruction'.

He said the framework, approved by the National Council for Education (NCE), would regulate learning activities in Nigeria and serve as an important guide.

He said: “This policy commitment provides a roadmap for implementation that national, state and local stakeholders and development partners must follow over the next 10 years to ensure Nigeria joins the ranks of high-performing countries in reading. It outlines.”

However, he noted that the implementation of this framework will depend on each state, as each state is in charge of its schools.

Gandu said the council has drafted implementation guidelines for speedy implementation of the policy.

“We will work with stakeholders towards the effective implementation of the framework, ensuring effective coordination and building strong partnerships, which we believe is important for the implementation of the national language policy at the basic education level. believe.”

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Earlier, Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) Secretary-General Hamid Boboi said the use of mother tongues in schools is crucial for productive citizenship, national cohesion, peace and prosperity.

Mr Boboi said that failure to address the learning crisis would hinder Nigeria's achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

He said the use of the mother tongue and the language of the immediate environment as the medium of instruction is good for Nigeria's future as it facilitates learning at the basic level, improves research and aids in subsequent economic development. Stated.

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“Fundamental learning is critical to the development of productive citizenship, sustainable development, national cohesion, peace and prosperity. Therefore, the call for dialogue on these important issues cannot be overemphasized. That's not the case.''

Quoting from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), he said: “In Nigeria, three out of four children between the ages of 1 and 14 receiving basic education are unable to understand and read a text or solve simple mathematics.'' ”

He therefore urged stakeholders in the dialogue to “discuss and devise viable measures that will help all stakeholders, not just UBEC, to deal with the situation.”

He said despite several interventions by the Nigerian government, state governments and international development partners to address the issue, challenges remained.

Boboi said, “Lack of access to educational materials, especially regarding the language of the immediate environment, poor quality of education, inadequate parental guidance, and the state's negligent attitude towards implementing language policies regarding maternal language use. “There may be several factors.'' This involves the language used as the medium of instruction for lower classes in basic education and the language of the immediate environment. ”

He added that overcoming the challenges requires the involvement of all stakeholders, especially the training of teachers in local languages.

assignment

In his address, the Executive Director of the Nigeria Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC), Mr. Ismail Junaidu, called for the implementation of the national language policy in Nigeria’s curriculum framework.

He pointed out that the policy approved in 2022 provides for the use of the mother tongue or the language of the immediate environment as the medium of instruction in basic schools for teaching up to the sixth grade.

While saying no language should be left behind, he lamented the lack of language teachers, low capacity and funding to implement the policy, as well as apathy and lack of political will.

However, he urged relevant agencies to increase awareness, produce more educational materials, build capacity of teachers and implementation partners, and strengthen partnerships between government agencies and development partners for the proper implementation of the policy. I asked them to secure it.

Agencies that participated in the dialogue included the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the World Bank, the British Council, Aid to Rural Education Access Initiative (AREAi), Bayero University Reading Centre, USAID: Learn-to-Read, Jolly Phonics, and Ayuda. (Special Support Foundation)