LANGUAGE IN INDIA

http://www.languageinindia.com
Volume 5 : 1 January 2005
ON THE MOTHER-TONGUE MEDIUM OF INSTRUCTION POLICY -
CURRICULUM INNOVATION AND THE CHALLENGES OF
IMPLEMENTATION IN NIGERIA
Ede O. S. Iyamu, Ph.D.
S. E. Aduwa Ogiegbaen, Ph.D.
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ABSTRACT
The religious missionary and colonial foundations of education in Nigeria largely
explain most of the present inadequacies in the nation's schools. Of greater concern
here is the neglect of indigenous languages in the curriculum and the current
difficulties in implementing the mother-tongue medium of instruction in the schools,
despite evidence on its potency for promoting children's learning. This study
examines the perceptions of parents and teachers of the wisdom of this policy as well
as the constraints to the implementation. Questionnaires were used to collect data
from a sample of 1000 teachers and 1500 parents of primary school children. The data
analysis showed that parents and teachers were perceptive of the wisdom of the
policy, though parents would not subscribe to their children being taught in the mother
tongue. It was also found that the push for a language of wider communication and
lack of relevant materials are greater constraints to the implementation.
Recommendations made include the need for a re-orientation of parents and the
public, and genuine commitment of government to facilitate the implementation of
innovative curriculum.
INTRODUCTION
The introduction of formal schools into Nigeria by foreign religious missionaries or
commercial entrepreneurs sometimes with the active support, but most usually, with
mere tolerance from colonial administrators, means that the kind of education
imported and imposed on the native was often designed to suit not the interest of the
recipients but those of the providers, the foreign educators (Abiri, 1976).
This perhaps is the most serious of the unfortunate consequences of the manner in
which formal educational institution was introduced into the country. There is nothing
as dangerous and damaging as giving people education that is not relevant to their
lives or functional in their understanding and domination of their environment. While
Fafunwa (1976) sees this as educating people out of their environment, Rodney
(1972) views it as education for underdevelopment.
POOR ATTENTION TO THE TEACHING OF INDIGENOUS LANGUAGES
One of the elements of the education referred to above, which was divorced from the
people's realities, was the little or no attention devoted to the teaching of indigenous
languages in the schools for a very long time. Where they were taught, they were
derogatorily referred to as vernacular, apparently to show that indigenous languages
did not have the attributes of modern languages. The local languages were in fact
regarded as inferior to that of the colonial rulers, and where any attention was paid to
them at all, these languages were expected to be taught only to the extent of enabling
the Nigerian pupils to read the Holy Bible in their own tongue (Abiri, 1976).
Consequently, the English Language was the focus of attention and served as the
medium of instruction for other aspects of the curriculum. The emphasis on English
Language in the school system did not only serve the needs of the colonial
administrators, foreign traders, and missionaries, it projected the assumed superiority
of the culture of the colonial masters. On the other hand, the lack of attention paid to
indigenous languages in the curriculum did not only undermine the socio-cultural
context of curriculum, it was a deliberate attempt to dismantle the existing socio-
cultural infrastructure and heritage which are fundamental to human existence.
WHY SHOULD WE EMPHASIZE MOTHER TONGUE EDUCATION?
But, why do we need to emphasise the mother tongue in the educational process?
Much has been written about education in the mother-tongue. The mother-tongue is
the language that is naturally learnt by members of a speech community and
employed by them as the first medium of vocalized communication. It could be seen
as the language of a native community or group of people with common ancestory. In
the absence of the influence of cultural diffusion, western education, urbanization,
cross-cultural marriage, displacement by war or natural disaster, the child is born into
and grows in the native language of the parents. Thus, each of the various ethnic
communities has its language that is naturally learnt by members in the socialization
process.
Experiences in the mother-tongue promote the cognitive abilities of the children. As
the child interacts with his parents and immediate relations, he comes into proper
understanding and grasping of his mother-tongue. He also learns through the naming
of various objects around him and the immediate environment because he has
acquired a proficiency in his mother-tongue, built up a vocabulary covering a lot of
the objects of sense expression and his daily activities (Adetunberu and Oluwafoise
1992).
In the past three decades, research has focused considerably on education in the
mother-tongue. According to SIL International (1999), mother-tongue education
involves the use of mother-tongue for formal education. It is used as the medium of
instruction in the other aspects of the curriculum. On the rationale for education in
mother-tongue, Mohanlal (2001) is of the view that an important goal of education is
to impart the universally recognized moral values to the individual and integrate these
with the ethnic specific eco-centric values, cultural norms, and worldview.
When this is not done, a gap between the education system and the society results,
such as that which characterized colonial education in almost all the colonies in
Africa. This gap is often a result of using a language other than the language of the
society as the medium of instruction. The curriculum, syllabus, teaching methodology
and content of the lessons not suited to the genius of the society contribute to this gap
that could lead to learning difficulty and future poor performance/achievement.
According to Abiri (1976), native language plays a significant role in the psychosocial
development of the individuals.
By implication, the mother-tongue provides a more rewarding learning environment,
as school learning and experience become a continuation of home experience, a
condition that guarantees cognitive equilibrium.
EDUCATIONAL ANACHRONISM IN AFRICA
The point on the place of mother-tongue in the schooling process is best clarified by
Fafunwa (1977) when he wrote about the Educational Anachronism in Africa.
According to him, a child learns best in his mother-tongue. Yet, for most of Africa,
formal education is offered in a language that is foreign to the child. This is unlike the
practice in most other leading countries of the World such as England, France, Italy,
Germany, India (to a great extent), China, Japan and so on where the child goes
through his primary, secondary and university education in his mother-tongue.
Unfortunately, we have continued to emphasise the use of a foreign language
(English) as a major medium of instruction in our schools, perhaps as part of our
colonial inheritance. It is the informed view of scholars including Fafunwa (1975) and
Bamgbose (1977) that foreign language constitutes barrier to effective teaching and
learning.
WHY CAN'T JOHNNY READ OR WRITE?
The book "Why Johnny Can't Read or Write" recounts the difficulties, which some
English children have in understanding their own language. But the African child
faces two dilemmas - Johnny's linguistic problems plus his own.
Early education in the mother-tongue expands the verbal facility and cognitive ream
of the child. Early introduction of a foreign language distorts the accumulated vocal
and verbal facility, thought process and cognitive equilibrium. Studies have shown
that this accounts for a good proportion of primary school dropouts in Nigeria
(Fafunwa, 1975) and India (Mohanlal 2001)
THE NIGERIAN MOTHER TONGUE POLICY 1981 AND 1998
It is perhaps in recognition of the potency of mother-tongue in education that the
National Policy on Education (FRN, 1981, 1998) prescribed the mother-tongue
Medium Policy. This policy is stated as applying to three levels of education:
1. At the pre-primary levels, Government will ensure that the medium of
instruction will be principally the mother-tongue or the language of the
immediate community.
2. At the primary level, government will see to it that the medium of
instruction in the primary school is initially the mother-tongue or the
language of the immediate community, and at later stage, English.
3. For Adult Education, "The National Commission (for the Development
of Adult and non-formal Education) will work out the overall strategy
for the inclusion of Nigerian Art, culture and language in Adult
education programmes.
This was the first time in the history of education in Nigeria when concerted efforts
were made to devote attention to education in the mother-tongue. This in itself
became an innovation that gladdened the hearts of educationists and researchers who
had been clamoring for the emphasis on the use of local languages as medium of
instruction. However, the focus of this paper is limited to the primary level of
education.
DIVIDED OPINION
Though, the mother-tongue medium policy is viewed as a major revolution in the
history of education in Nigeria, opinions remain divided on the wisdom of this policy
in a highly 'multilingual society as Nigeria' in which a language of wider
communication such as English is the official language. Others see it as a wasteful
exercise in terms of production of materials and provision of teachers, especially for
languages spoken by a very few people. Such criticisms notwithstanding, mother-
tongue medium of instruction has remained the option of most multi-lingual African
communities and India. According to Bamgbose (1977), all arguments about the
feasibility of the Mother-Tongue Medium Policy in Nigeria should now give away to
a consideration of practical ways of implementing the policy.
THE PROBLEM
The quest to evolve a meaningful and effective learning environment is a continuous
one. This concern becomes more obvious and urgent considering the gap between
colonial education and realities in Nigeria, especially with regard to the little or no
attention devoted the indigenous languages in the curriculum. Literature abounds on
the significance of the mother-tongue in the educational process, emphasis being that
a child learns best in his mother-tongue. There is therefore enough support for the
mother-tongue medium policy contained in the National Policy on Education in
Nigeria. In consideration of possible divergent views on the wisdom of this policy and
the need to ask questions about the extent of the implementation of this policy have
made this study imperative. The orbit of concern of this paper therefore is the
investigation of the challenges of implementing this policy in the context of the
perceptions of teachers and parents.
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
The following questions were raised to guide this study.
1. Do parents and teachers differ significantly in their perception of the
wisdom of the mother-tongue medium policy?
2. Do teachers differ significantly in their perception of the constraints to
the to the implementation of the policy?
PURPOSE AND SIGNIFICANCE
While the study sought to provide answers to the foregoing questions, its findings
would be of immense significance to the curriculum process. Information will be
made available on how teachers and parents feel about the mother-tongue medium
policy, more than twenty years of its inception.
Such information helps to show how much awareness and understanding the public
has about the policy. These are pre-conditions for their dispositions toward the policy
implementation. Where necessary, the government may have to embark on further
mass orientation to enlighten the public on the policy. All of this information is part of
the ingredients needed by the curriculum workers in the course of curriculum reforms.
Both the government and teachers would become more aware of the constraints to the
policy implementation. Thus, they would be better informed in evolving appropriate
measures to mitigate the situation. The greatest of the advantages go to the school
children that would now learn more as a result of the promotion of the mother-tongue
medium policy through this study.
PROCEDURE
This study used a sample of 1000 primary school teachers and 1500 literate parents of
primary school children who were randomly drawn from Eastern, Western, Northern
and Southern parts of Nigeria. Two sets of questionnaire were used for the collection
of data.
The first was made up of 10 items on justification for the mother-tongue medium
policy and perceptions on it. Both the parents and teachers responded to this
questionnaire.
The second instrument contained 10 items on practical constraints to the
implementation of the policy. Only the teachers responded to this.
The two questionnaires were based on four-point scale of strongly agree, agree,
disagree and strongly disagree. These were weighted 4, 3, 2, and 1 respected to
facilitate analysis. In the analysis of data, the mean method was used. The
respondents' mean score on each item ranged from 1 - 4, with an exact lower limit of
0.5 and upper limit of 4.5. A mid-value of 2.5 was therefore chosen as hypothetical
cult-off point. Any mean of 2.5 and above was taken as high perception. The
instruments had a reliability coefficient of 0.61 and 0.59 respectively.
RESULTS
Table 1: Perceptions of parents and Teachers' on the Mother-tongue Medium
Policy
Items SA A D SD Std
Dev
Mean Decision
1 Early education in the
mother-tongue helps to
bridge home and school
experiences
P 2140 1467 680 11 1.69 3.19
Not
Significant
T 1200 1083 392 143 1.67 2.81
2 Children learn best in
their mother-tongue
P 1200 633 1300 339 1.51 2.31
Significant
T 844 1167 572 114 1.64 2.69
3 Mother-tongue
education helps to lay
solid foundation for
childrens psycho-social
development
P 840 858 1602 203 1.52 2.33
Not
Significant

T

496

933

718

206

1.53

2.35
4 Early education in
mother-tongue makes
school less traumatic for
the child
P 1644 918 1222 372 1.67 2.77
Not
Significant

T

952

843

592

205

1.71

2.59
5 Early education in the
mother-tongue makes it
possible for illiterate
parents to support their
childrens learning at
home
P 1664 2034 762 25 1.64 2.99
Not
Significant

T

1640

645

402

174

1.67

2.86
6 Education in the mother-
tongue is a way of
promoting our cultural
heritage
P 464 1440 1212 298 1.46

2.27 Significant
T 492 1618 420 261 1.69 2.79
7 Mother-tongue
education is more
effective in helping the
child to understand his
environment
P 2464 1464 622 100 2.11 2.66
Not
Significant
T

844

1167

522

139

1.75

2.67
8 Mother-tongue
education is most useful
for integrating
ethnocentric and eco-
centric values and
traditional norms into the
curriculum
P 1604 2133 768 4 1.71 3.0 Not
Significant

T

1244

864

402

200

1.68

2.71
9 The early use of foreign
language as a medium
of instruction poses
learning difficulties for
pupils
P 3240 933 412 173 1.56 3.17 Significant
T 800 603 776 211 1.67 2.39
10 Children exposed to
early education in the
mother-tongue have
wider scope of
experiences which
support learning through
a foreign language later
in life

P

444

2178

762

282

1.98

2.44



Significant

T

1264

1101

396

119

1.66

2.88
Note: Figures in cells are weighted.
The analysis of data in table 1 above presents the perceptions of parents and teachers
on the wisdom or desirability of the mother-tongue medium policy for Nigerian
primary schools.
Of the ten items, they have common perceptions on six and are divided on the
remaining four. The parents and teachers do not feel that mother-tongue education
helps in the psychosocial development of the child. The views are perhaps influenced
by the fact that there are many other variables, which contribute to the psychosocial
development of the child. However, they perceive early education in the mother-
tongue as a worthwhile venture because it guarantees security for the child.
Child studies have shown that children's first experiences in school are traumatic
largely because they do not see the school experiences as a continuation of home
experiences (Iyamu and Omozuwa, 2004).
The early introduction of foreign language contributes to learning difficulties and
failure, which in turn could account for dropout as reported by Mohanlal (2001) in
India and Abiri (1976) and Fafunwa (1975) in Nigeria. Early education in mother-
tongue could help to mitigate these problems.
Both parents and teachers recognize the need for home support for the education of
the child in the form of parents being able to supervise and direct their children's
home study. Thus, they have alignment of perception on early education in mother-
tongue as a way of making it possible for illiterate parents to be of educational
assistance to the children at home. Their perceptions were also the same on mother-
tongue education being effective in helping the child to understand his environment.
This is in line with views of Mohanlal (2001) who views a good education as that
which draws from the learners' ethnocentric and eco-centric values. It is only mother-
tongue education that fully meets this requirement. Hence, these subjects were not
different in their perception on items 1 and 9 of the instrument. Their perceptions on
item 1 on the continuity in home experiences express the earlier views by Urevbu
(2001) that early education in the mother-tongue promotes the child's cognitive
equilibrium.
On the other hand, the parents and teachers were found to be different in their
perceptions with regard to items 2, 6, 9 and 10. In item 2, while parents see early
education in the mother-tongue as not capable of bringing about better learning the
teachers hold the contrary position. The researcher expected the parents to respond the
way they did because they may not have the opportunity of reading research reports
on the effect of mother-tongue education on pupils' achievement. The teachers may
have, particularly with the local efforts of Fafunwa (1977) in the Six-year (Yoruba
Medium) Primary Education Project at the University of Ife.
Parents and teachers used in this study were different in their perception of mother-
tongue medium policy as a means of promoting our cultural heritage. While the
teachers were perceptive, the parents were not. Parents probably felt that merely
teaching a child in the mother-tongue for the first three years of primary school does
not necessarily mean he would imbibe the culture fully and retain or internalize all the
values.
On whether education in foreign language poses learning difficulties, the parents were
more perceptive of the wisdom than the teachers. The views of the parents are
supported by Fafunwa (1977) with regard to the inevitable communication barrier
posed by learning in a foreign language. Finally, the teachers were of the view that
early education in the mother-tongue makes for learning prosperity in the future. The
parents did not share this view, probably because they feel that many other variables
impinge on the learning of the child.
TABLE 2: Teachers' Perception of the Constraints to the Implementation of the
Mother-Tongue Medium Policy
Items SA A D SD Std
Dev
X Decision
1 Schools do not have the
needed teachers trained in
mother-tongue education

2496

945

90

16

2.11

3.54

Significant
2 There are no instructional
materials produced in the
indigenous languages e.g.
textbooks, workbooks.


2804


657


100


30


2.03


3.59


Significant
3 Pupils in most classrooms
in Nigerian Primary
schools come from
different linguistic
background, hence
common mother-tongue is
not practicable


1200


1050


622


39


1.99


2.91


Significant
4 Teachers are not
enthusiastic to use
indigenous languages as
medium of instruction


640


633


383


210


1.45


2.32

Not
Significant
5 There are no curriculum
materials on the various
subjects written in
indigenous languages


1644


987


422


49


2.56


3.1


Significant
6 Parents are not
enthusiastic about their
children being taught in the
mother-tongue
2004 1104 222 120 1.76 3.45 Significant
7 The push for a language of
wider communication does
not encourage the
promotion of mother-
tongue education


1672


696


522


89


2.56


2.97


Significant
Note: Figures in Cells are weighted.
The analysis of data in table 2 shows the perceptions of teachers on the constraints to
the implementation of the mother-tongue medium policy. Of the 10 constraints
identified in this study, the teachers perceived 8 as significant while 2 not significant.
The significant constraints are related to the dearth of instructional materials; trained
mother-tongue education teachers; linguistic heterogeneity of Nigerian primary
Schools; non-existent curriculum programmes in other school subjects written in local
languages; parental indisposition to their children being taught in the mother-tongue,
and the push for a language of wider communication.
Popularization of mother-tongue medium of instruction is both demanding and
expensive. It entails a lot of resources to produce teaching and learning materials and
train teachers. At present, no concrete efforts have been made by government to face
the challenges of implementation the mother-tongue medium policy. According to
Urevbu (2001), the requirements for the implementation include (a) linguistic analysis
of the phonology and grammar of the language; (b) devising a practical orthography,
and (c) preparing and testing of primers and readers as well as supplementary reading
materials. At present, these have not been provided.
One of the attitudinal dimensions of the constraints that have been identified is related
to the feelings of parents with regard to education in the mother-tongue. Most parents
in Nigeria would feel uncomfortable when their children are learning in the mother-
tongue. To them, teaching in mother-tongue should be the function of the home and
not the school. There is the erroneous belief that education in the mother-tongue is
inferior to learning in English. Similarly, the teachers are not enthusiastic to teach in
the mother-tongue for fear of losing their pride among colleagues. In the school
setting, there is the tendency to stratify school knowledge into high esteemed and low
esteemed. For instance the Mathematics and Physics teachers tend to exude some air
of superiority over other teachers. The mother-tongue education teacher may have
little or no esteem in this imagination. Though, the teachers perceived these as not
significant, they should not be taken for granted.
The problem posed by the linguistic heterogeneity as revealed in this study further re-
echoes the earlier writings of Bamgbose (1977) who said that mother-tongue medium
policy could only be applied successfully in most rural areas that are linguistically
homogeneous. The complex and cosmopolitan nature of urban areas is likely
militating against this policy.
CONCLUSION
From the findings in this study, the following conclusions may be drawn. Parents and
teachers are perceptive of the wisdom of the mother-tongue medium policy and are
likely to be supportive of the implementation so long as it helps to balance the child's
cognitive equilibrium, promote ethno-centric and eco-centric values and parents'
greater involvement in children's education. Parents would want to support the policy
in their views that it makes the child to learn better. The teachers would want to
support the policy to promote cultural heritage and expand the horizon of children's
experiences.
On the constrants to the policy in Nigerian schools, it is doubtful if mother-tongue
medium policy can be transformed from its present paper state to practice because of
the overwhelming obstacles.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Based on the findings and conclusion in this study, the following recommendations
have been made.
1. A national progeamme of mass orientation is needed to inform and
update parents and the public about the wisdom of the mother-tongue
medium policy. Parents need to know what the schools are doing, as
principal stakeholders.
2. The government should come up genuinely to face the challenges of
implementing the mother-tongue medium policy by providing the
required resources for the production of relevant curriculum materials,
instructional materials and facilities, orthography and trained teachers in
the desired numbers.
3. Government and Non-Governmental Agencies need to encourage and
develop written literature in indigenous languages by organizing writers'
workshops and seminars and providing grants to local authors.
4. Further studies are needed to address the consequences of linguistic
heterogeneity of urban schools for the policy to pave the way forward.

REFERENCES
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teacher.Ekiadolor J ournal of Education, 2 (1) P. 192.
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Federal Republic of Nigeria (1998). National Policy on Education. Lagos: Federal
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Iyamu, E.O.S and Omozuwa, E.O. (2004) Child and Adolescent studies for Effective
Teaching. Benin City: Peterson.
Mohanlal, S. (2001). Mother-tongue education and psycho-societal involvement in
tribal communities: A case study of Paniyi tribe. Language in I ndia,
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Rodney Walter (1972). How Europe Underdeveloped Africa. London: Bogle
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Urevbu, A.O. (2001) Curriculum Studies. Lagos: Juland.

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Ede O. S. I yamu, Ph.D.
Faculty of Education
University of Benin
Benin city, Nigeria
nisioza@yahoo.com
S. E. Aduwa Ogiegbaen, Ph.D.
Faculty of Education
University of Benin
Benin city, Nigeria
Dr. Ede O. S.Iyamu is a Senior Lecturer in Curriculum Studies and Instruction
in the University of Benin.
Dr. S. E.Aduwa Ogiegbaen is a Senior Lecturer in Educational Technology in the
University of Benin