Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has called for a research-driven approach to the use of indigenous languages in early childhood education, urging policymakers to address practical challenges rather than dismiss research findings.
Otti made the call on Wednesday at the 24th Annual Lecture/Symposium of the Fafunwa Educational Foundation (FEF) and the 19th Post-Doctoral Awards in Education, held at the MUSON Centre, Lagos.
The symposium, organised in honour of Nigeria’s first Professor of Education and former Minister of Education, the late Prof. Aliu Babatunde Fafunwa, focused on the theme, “What Does the Research Say?: Mother Tongue Instruction and the Future of Early Education in Nigeria.”
Speaking on the subject, Otti said evidence showing that children could learn more effectively when taught in languages they understand should not be ignored because of existing challenges.
“If research establishes that children learn better when taught in indigenous languages, we should address the limitations rather than reject the findings,” the governor said.
He identified teacher capacity and the varying reach of indigenous languages as some of the practical issues that would need to be addressed in implementing mother-tongue instruction.
Otti also pointed to China, India and South Korea as examples of countries where indigenous languages have played important roles alongside education and economic development.
The governor further paid tribute to Prof. Fafunwa, describing him as an educationist whose ideas and contributions continued to influence Nigeria’s educational development.
He commended the Fafunwa family and the foundation for preserving his legacy and congratulated recipients of the 19th Post-Doctoral Awards, urging them to deploy their academic achievements toward addressing societal challenges.
A key highlight of the event was the unveiling of “Babs Fafunwa: A Life of Firsts – A Mini-Biography for Youngsters,” written by Prof. Okey Ndibe and illustrated by Chibu Ndibe.
Otti, who reviewed the book, described it as an important resource for introducing younger Nigerians to the life and contributions of the late educationist.
The keynote address was delivered by Prof. Francis Egbokhare of the University of Ibadan, who linked language barriers to Nigeria’s learning challenges.
According to Egbokhare, some cases of poor academic performance may be associated with a mismatch between the language used for instruction and the language understood by learners, rather than a lack of intellectual ability.
Prof. Angelina Kioko of USIU-Africa, alongside other scholars, educationists and policymakers, attended the symposium.
