Efio-Ita Nyok|22 February 2018
Elder (Mrs.) Eme Umanah Ph.D, the proprietress of AKIMOHS Schools (Akim Akim Model High School), a private, combined daycare, primary, junior and high school based in Calabar, Nigeria, Wednesday, asserted that learning should commence in the learners’ mother tongue while advocating the need for parents to connect their children to their culture, tradition, and history NegroidHaven can say.
Dr Umanah made this remarks during the school ‘s observance of the 2018 International Mother Language Day themed : ‘Linguistic diversity and multilingualism count for sustainable development’ during her welcome speech which held at the school compound located at 140 Calabar Road where she further noted that learning does not start in a formal educational institution but in the learner’s home. She listed the significance of mother tongue to include creating solidarity, ensuring privacy, intelligence enhancements, uplifting level of moral, social and intellectual values.
She said, ‘Learning does not start in the school; it should start at home and in the learners mother tongue. Parents need to connect their children to their culture, history and tradition.
‘The importance of mother tongue cannot be overemphasized. Mother tongue creates solidarity among members of any given community, thereby uplifting the level of moral, social and intellectual values in the young ones. It gives one privacy in the mist of strangers. It enhances intelligence of a child and increases the child’s vocabulary’.
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| L-R : King Desmond Anthony Effiong and Queen Divine-Favour Elisha immediately after investiture with royal paraphernalia |
Umanah also opined that the recent rave of lack of respect for elders in society from younger ones may be traced to the dearth of mother tongue. She informed that her school AKIMOHS encourages mother tongue by giving tuition free scholarships to pupils/students who fluently speak their mother tongue while charging parents to speak their mother tongue with their children.
Her words, ‘The recent disrespect and untoward attitude we are witnessing in our youths in many part of the country may not be unconnected to the absence of the child’s vocabulary.
‘As a school we have been encouraging our children by giving tuition free scholarship to pulpils/students who speak their mother tongue fluently and this year will not be an exception. We are also pleading with parents to speak their local languages with their children at home’, she concluded.
Professor of Linguistics, Mrs Bassey Okon while addressing the audience explained that speaking in our indigenous languages allows for identity. She also informed that Nigeria has about 537 indigenous languages. Her words, ‘Our language is an embodiment of our culture, if we can speak our language we have an identity… In Nigeria, we have about 537 languages. If you speak your language anywhere you are, you will have an identity. The reverse is the case when we don’t speak our indigenous language. When God created humans according to Biblical accounts, He did so with not just handing over one language, but, many, so learn to speak yours. Speaking your indigenous language shows that you are proud of who you are, it also shows that you are proud of where you come from, it also shows that you are proud of the culture of your people. It’s often said, of you don’t have a language you don’t have a culture, and if you don’t have a culture, you don’t have a language. Both if them goes together.’
The observance showcased cultural performances by the pupils/children ranging from Beti dance, Ibibio’s Mkpok Eto, Ebre Dance, Efik Story Telling, varieties of dances from multicultural ethnicities from northern Cross River state, exclusive displays from the Efiks like Ekpe ino ebot mi, Ata nso Italy, Ikpaya Dance.
The highpoint of the event was the crowning of a New Mother Tongue King and Queen for year 2018, namely, King Desmond Anthony Effiong and Queen Divine-Favour Elisha respectively of Annang and Oron ethnicities of Akwa Ibom state.
Efio-Ita Nyok
Is the Blogger-in-Chief & Publisher of NegroidHaven
