PREVIEW OF THE APPROVED LANGUAGES ORTHOGRAPHIES & PROGRESS ON THE CURRICULA DEVELOPMENT

BY

TONY ENYIA; PhD, MNIM EXECUTIVE SECRETARY / CEO RIVERS STATE READERS PROJECT

PROLOGUE (1)
If you know all the languages of the world, and you dont know your language, that is enslavement.
If you know your language and add all the other languages, that is empowerment.
--- Prof. Ngugi wa ThiongO
Guardian, Tuesday 24 July 2012

PROLOGUE (2)
One of the contributing factors why Romney lost big among Latino (Hispanics) voters was that the Obama campaign outspent the Romney camp on Spanishlanguage TV by nearly 2-to-1. Obama carried a whopping 71% of Latinos (to win his re-election).
NBC's Mark Murray, NBCNEWS.com, 5/12/12

Contents
Objectives Brief History The UNESCO Position Advocacies for Mother-Tongue Fall-out of the 2009 Literary Festival Extant RS Local Language Law Legal Imperatives Activities & Achievements Commendation by Federal Government Constraints & Challenges Suggested Way Forward Concluding Thoughts

Objectives
The three founding objectives of the Rivers State Readers Project were: (1) To make available a series of readers for use in the primary and secondary schools in all local languages of Rivers State, (2) Complement this with the provision of English Language readers for global content, and (3) So that the children can learn in their own mother-tongue for cultural sustainability as enjoined by the Federal Republic of Nigeria National Policy on Education (2004:11-12) which states that:
To achieve the above objectives Government shall ensure the medium of instruction will be principally the mother-tongue or the language of the immediate community; and to this end will: (a) Develop the orthography for many more Nigerian languages, and (b) Produce textbooks in Nigerian languages. RSRP has a 5-Phased Work Plan of Orthographies Development, Curricula Development, Language Books Production, Language Teachers Training, and

Brief History
First Planned in 1967 on creation of (Old) Rivers State as Rivers Readers Project. Commenced work in 1970 with initial grant from UNESCO and Ford Foundation. Identified 21 languages in Old Rivers State by end of research in 1970 as follows: 17 Languages in present-day Rivers State, viz: Abuan, Degema, Egbema, Ekpeye, Egene, Echie, Eleme, Gokana, Ikwere, Ibani, Kana, Kalabari, Ndoni, Odual, Ogba, Obolo, and Okrika. 4 Languages in present-day Bayelsa State, viz: Epie, Izon, Nembe, and Ogbia. Project became a Committee of the Rivers State Ministry of Education by the 1980s.

Project was killed and became moribund under the past Civilian Administration. Rivers State Education (Teaching of Indigenous Languages) Law was enacted in 2003. Project was resuscitated, renamed Rivers State Readers Project and made a Parastatal on 31 July 2008 by His Excellency Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi.
Project Governing Board of six (6) persons set up, viz: Professor Emeritus Tekena Tamuno (Chairman), Professor Otonti Nduka, Dr (Mrs) Blessing Ahiauzu, Chief Sampson Agbaru, Dr Sonpie Kpone-Tonwe, and Dr Tony Enyia. Dr Tony Enyia was confirmed Executive Secretary/Chief Executive of Project on 25/9/08 Federal Government formally Approved the 14 Orthographies of Abuan, Degema, Egbema, Ekpeye, Egene, Echie, Eleme, Gokana, Ibani, Kana, Ndoni, Odual, Ogba, and Okrika in 2010 as Nigerian Languages Spoken in Rivers State. Ikwere, Kalabari and Obolo were approved earlier, making the total no of accredited RS Languages 17. The Approved 14 Orthographies were published by the Federal Government in 2011.

Bad Prediction for Nigeria

If bold steps are not taken, I assure you many (Nigerian) indigenous languages will die. UNESCO has even reported that about ten (10) Nigerian languages could die before the next decade.
The report, to me, is correct because many of our children these days dont know how to speak their mother- tongues.
-- Ibrahaim Ishak Bala
Blueprint Newspaper, 17/2/2012

The UNESCO Position

We must understand the term language in its fullest sense. Citing a renowned anthropologist, Davis, UNESCO notes that: A language isnt just a body of vocabulary or a set of grammatical rules. It is a flash of the human spirit, a vehicle through which the soul of a particular culture comes into the material world.

Continuing, Davis said: When we loose a language we loose a vital part of the human spirit. (Hubert J. Charles, UNESCO Representative to Nigeria {2006})

The UNESCO Position (Contd.)

English enjoys considerable support from parents and teachers in the belief that it is an important door to modernism and success. That the ability to speak English in our globalized world constitutes an advantage is not in doubt nor being challenged. What is certainly not true is that knowledge and use of one or even two indigenous languages militates against one being able to master English or French. In fact, the view espoused by UNESCO holds that mastery of these Western languages is more often than not facilitated by mastery of ones indigenous language. (Hubert J. Charles, UNESCO Representative to Nigeria {2006})

The UNESCO Position (Contd.)

Educators, particularly at the preand primary school levels, will need to be careful that they are not seen as having lost the argument that: the use and mastery of the mother-tongue actually assists in the acquisition of English, French and other Western languages.
(Hubert J. Charles, UNESCO Representative to Nigeria {2006})

International Advocacy from Asia

Learning in Native Tongue Can Boost Independent Thought
Learning in ones native tongue should not be seen as a weakness, but can lead to higher independent thought many of the team behind Indias first and successful moon mission had done a large part of their academic learning in their native tongues.
I have lost nothing because I was educated in my mother tongue. Eleven years of my schooling was in Tamil (language) medium. English is the link language of modern science. It is necessary to learn it. But learning in ones language can do wonders for independent and original thinking.
(Mylswamy Annadurai, Project Director , Indian {Space} Moon Mission, The New Indian Express, Chennai, India. 21/2/2012)

International Media Advocacy for Mother-Tongue

by TIME Magazine July 1977

Half the worlds languages are faced with extinction unless we wake up to the problem, we stand to lose up to 95% of our languages in the coming century.
Indigenous peoples are not waiting for the slow death of linguistic extinction. They are speaking out to try to save their endangered tongues.

Presidential Advocacy
President Umaru Musa YarAdua launched the Microsoft Language Localization Programme in Abuja and described language as strategic to national development. He called on Nigerians to take advantage of the opportunities provided by Microsoft's local language programme to preserve and promote the country's mother languages, while benefiting from continuing IT advancements." Microsoft Nigeria had proved that language couldn't be a barrier to technology access.
(Guardian Newspaper, 2/6/09)

Advocacy By Forum of Experts

Chairman board of directors of the publishing house, Dr Lekan Are, said the failures being recorded now in the various examinations (WAEC, NECO, JAMB, etc) were unheard of way back when children only came in contact with the foreign language when they were six years old and above. Dr Are, therefore, canvassed that children be taught their mother-tongue to a certain age before they became exposed to a foreign language as the only panacea to the children's learning problems. He, also blamed children's inability to speak their mother-tongue on parents, who think it elitist for their children to speak only in English rather their mother-tongue. Children coming in contact with a foreign language from age six and above would enhance rather than hinder their cognitive abilities, and even hasten their understanding of the foreign language. (Guardian Newspaper, 29/6/09)

Advocacy By Forum of Experts (Contd.)

Foremost linguist and Yoruba author, Professor Akinwunmi Isola, stated that unless a child was competent in the mother-tongue he might not be able acquire a foreign language. He noted that Nigerian children who presumed to speak only foreign language were the worse users of the English language.

He also tied mother-tongue to the acquisition of culture and values because language is the vehicle through which these two are conveyed or transmitted. He said we have abandoned our mother-tongue, albeit it is through the mother-tongue that you can acquire culture and values. Culture comes first through our language." (Guardian Newspaper, 29/6/09)

Fall-out of the 2009 Garden City Literary Festival: An Advocacy for Mother-Tongue?
Ngugi Wa Thiongo (international literary icon), renewed his earlier prescription for creative writers in Africa to write in their mother-tongue as he has chosen to do in his native Gikuyu language (of Kenya). He lamented the adverse effect the English Language has had on many writers who are unable to write in their mother-tongue as demonstrated by a writing test he conducted at the Port Harcourt event. He holds the view that perception between languages has nothing to do with the inherent powers of languages but that such thinking has been brought about by a historical process.
Daily Sun, 30/10/2009

Fall-out of 2009 Garden City Literary Festival: An Advocacy for Mother-Tongue? (Contd.)
Ngugi Wa Thiongo shares the same concerns with UNESCO

about the low utilization of out indigenous languages in our national life.

(Current) UNESCO Director-General, Koichiro Matsuura pointed

out that the death of a language leads to the disappearance of many forms of intangible cultural heritage, especially the invaluable heritage of traditions and oral expressions of the community that spoke it from poems and legends to proverbs and jokes.
He holds the view that perception between languages has

nothing to do with the inherent powers of languages but that such thinking has been brought about by a historical process.
Koichiro said the loss of languages is also detrimental to

humanitys grasp of biodiversity, as they transmit much knowledge about nature and the universe.

Daily Sun, 30/10/2009

Fall-out of 2009 Garden City Literary Festival: An Advocacy for Mother-Tongue? (Contd.)
The situation in Nigeria is that we have a generation that is

neither proficient in their mother-tongue nor the English language, which is akin to moving towards a zero language option (pidgin?).

We are scandalized by the practice in primary schools which

punishes one for speaking in mother-tongue, and extols the other for speaking in English. The humiliation and negativity attached to native languages in the teaching/learning process should be done away with.
The positive affirmation of English language as a means of

intellectual productivity and the (pervasive) criminalization of mother-tongue for the same process has, for long, been the bane of development of these languages.
This is colonial hangover. There is the urgent need to change

the status quo so that our indigenous languages will be the language of commerce, administration, politics, education and international communication. This is the lesson of Ngugis postulations. It is a call for linguistic pride and nationalism.

Daily Sun, 30/10/2009

Fall-out of 2009 Garden City Literary Festival: An Advocacy for Mother-Tongue? (Contd.)
The way out of this linguistic suicide is to start using our own languages as the medium of instruction in our nursery and primary schools.
The Ife experiment conducted by Prof Aliyu Babatunde Fafunwa, using his Yoruba mother-tongue to teach children from primary one to six showed that the pupils did quite well. Since then, Prof Fafunwa had argued on the possibility of teaching mathematics and science subjects in our indigenous languages since his experience at the Ife-six-year primary project showed clearly that children will cope better with mathematics if they are taught in their mother-tongue. (In summary, the Festival outcome says) there is nothing wrong in using our local languages to teach from nursery to university level. Such languages can be further enriched through extensive borrowing as done by English to make up for their inadequacies.

Let all our classic creative works, especially Chinua Achebes Things Fall Apart, Soyinkas Death and the Kings Horseman, and others, be translated into these languages to boost them.
Daily Sun, 30/10/2009

Extant RS Education (Teaching of Indigenous Languages) Law

Extant RS Education (Teaching of Indigenous Languages) Law (Contd.)

Extant RS Education (Teaching of Indigenous Languages) Law (Contd.)

Legal Imperatives
Enforcement of The Rivers State Education (Teaching of Indigenous Languages) Law 2003 which provides that:
The teaching of indigenous languages is made compulsory in all pre-primary, primary, and junior secondary schools in Rivers State. The Ministry of Education shall ensure that the teaching of these indigenous languages forms part of the academic curricula of all the affected schools. The Ministry shall cause the local languages to be one of the subjects examined at the end of each term or year in the First School Leaving Certificate (FSLC) and the Junior Secondary School Certificate (JSSC) examinations. The Ministry of Education shall ensure that teachers are trained to cater for all the schools through workshops and compressed certificate courses on local languages spoken in the State in universities or other institutions approved by the Ministry.

Legal Imperatives
which provides that:
For Early Childhood & Pre-primary Education

(Contd.)

Enforcement of The National Policy on Education (2004)

Government shall ensure the medium of instruction (in preprimary and primary school) will be principally the mother-tongue or the language of the immediate community; and to this end will: (a) develop the orthography for many more Nigerian languages, and (b) produce textbooks in Nigerian languages.

For Primary Education

The medium of instruction in the primary school shall be the language of the environment for the first three years. During this period, English shall be taught as a subject. For Junior Secondary School The language of the environment shall be taught where it has orthography and literature. Where it does not have, it shall be taught with emphasis on oralcy.

Catching Them Young via Education

Pre-Civil War Education System had a Measure of Observation of Youth Character: Integrity, Rectitude, Good Initiative, Discipline, Respect for Constituted Authority, etc. After the War, with the Advent of the Military, these Values Disappeared Leading up to Examinations Fraud, Very Poor Standard of Education, Cultism, Armed Violence, Kidnapping, Restiveness, and Pervasive Corruption, etc. Bad character traits like stealing, lying, truancy, immorality, dishonesty, etc needs to be tackled by the re-introduction of traditional values via early mother-tongue education. The Rivers State Readers Project agrees with the Forum of Linguistic Experts and other Advocates that: through the mother-tongue you can acquire culture and values. Culture comes first through our language."

Catching Them Young via Education (Contd.)

The Primary Qualification for Leadership in Society and the Oil Industry is Character: Intelligence, Integrity and Ability.
If the Next Generation of Youths Possesses these, Both Society and the Government will Secure their Future. Truly, what Chinua Achebe Meant when he Talked about a Youth called Okonkwo in Things Fall Apart is that the Youth we Envisage is a Leader of no Mean Character.

The next cardinal principle which ought to govern our education is character-training about which much has been said by so many in recent times and especially in these days when it has become fashionable for many a school child to be violent, irresponsible and disrespectful. Character-training (through the mother-tongue should at home and school include) moral and civic values.
--- Chief A.Y. Eke, Federal Commissioner of Education, 1971

Bayelsa State Leads the Way

Bayelsa State Leads the Way

(Contd.)

In 2008, the Bayelsa State government advertised the in-take of students to study Diploma in Izon language at the Niger Delta University (NDU). The 3-yr Diploma programme is based on developing the Izon language, culture and history a policy commitment to the development and preservation of Izon cultural heritage. This is a rebirth of Izon national consciousness taking place in schools in Bayelsa State aimed at the development of Izon language for codification and documentation. Izon is taught from Basic 1 to 4 as a bold initiative to include it in the curriculum from nursery to secondary levels. The objectives are: (1) To enable the children to read and write well in Izon language, (2) To write the history and culture of the Izon language, (3) To translate the Holy Bible into Izon language, and support the reading of the Holy Bible in Izon language, (4) To teach other language, starting with Ayakpo Comprehensive School, Biogbolo.

The Almighty God Approves Multilingualism (Biodiversity) !!

The LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language let us confound their language ... So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth (Genesis 11:6-8). When the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem men, out of every nation under heaven and every man heard them speak in his own language. And were amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? How hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born? we do hear them speak in our tongues (Acts 2:4-11). I beheld (in heaven), and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes (Revelation 7:9).

Strong Biblical Anticidents of Leveraging Language Power

Nebuchadnezzar the king, (wrote) unto all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth; Peace be multiplied unto you (Daniel 4:1). King Darius wrote unto all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth; Peace be multiplied unto you (Daniel 6:25). Then were the king's scribes called at that time and it was written according to all that Mordecai commanded unto the Jews, and to the lieutenants, and the deputies and rulers of the provinces which are from India unto Ethiopia, an hundred twenty and seven provinces, and unto every people after their language, and to the Jews according to their writing, and according to their language (Esther 8:9).

Criticality of Mother-Tongue: A Matter of Life & Death !!

The fighters who had burst into the hall shouted warnings in Hebrew to the captives to lie on the ground and they then wiped out the Palestinian Arab terrorists in the hall within a few seconds with crackling volleys of automatic fire Those who hugged the floor were not hit. The (Israeli) covering force succeeded in that very moment in silencing the firing from the tower and the first of the hostages began to emerge from the doorway of the terminal to race to the awaiting aircraft.
Israelis Own Story, Penguin Books, pp 121, 124.

Yehuda Ofer (1976) Operation Thunder: The Entebbe Raid,

Activities & Achievements

1. The National Council on Education of the Federal Government approved the orthographies of the 14 Nigerian Languages spoken in Rivers State as follows: Abuan, Degema, Echie, Egbema, Ekpeye, Eleme, Egene, Gokana, Ibani, Kana, Ndoni, Odual, Ogba, and Okrika in 2010. (Ikwere, Kalabari and Obolo were approved earlier bringing the no of accredited RS languages to 17). The 14 Orthographies Manuals were published by the FGN in 2011. 2. Rivers State Readers Project was listed/cited in the 2010 International Journal on Evidence- and Practice-based Advocacy Brief published by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Institute for Lifelong Learning, Hamburg, Germany. It ranked 2nd to Prof Aliyu Fafunwas Six-Year Primary (Ife Mother-tongue Education Project) carried out at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. None other was chosen out of the scores of language projects across the country, Nigeria, reported by the Federal Ministry of Education. This is an international recognition of the efforts of the Rivers State Readers Project

Activities & Achievements (Contd.)

3. Gokana and Eleme Curricula development required for the writing of books for the Basic-9 School System have already started. The Nigerian Educational Research & Development Council (NERDC) Abuja is providing technical support for the Curricula Development. 4. The Vice-Chancellor, Rivers State University of Education, Rumuolumeni, has accepted in principle to commence a Certificate Course in Rivers Languages for the training of language teachers for the Rivers State School System, depending on budget availability. 5. The Federal Government says these orthographies were developed based on approved technical guidelines and extant procedures guiding such projects. The National Council on Education has approved the use of these orthographies. Therefore, the orthographies were ratified as standardized systems of writing of these languages with the ultimate aim of stimulating the production of materials to be used in schools for reading, writing, literature and learning starting with the development of curriculum.

Activities & Achievements

(Contd.)

When Dr Tony Enyia informed me in 2009, that he had been appointed the Executive Secretary of Rivers State Readers Project I simply gave him a cynical smile and dubiously wished him well. To be frank, I doubted the possibility of Dr Enyia realising his dream, because I knew that the task before him was not a simple one. First, I know the controversies involved in growing orthographies for languages with diverse dialects; I also know how people passionately treasure their mother tongue, and therefore cannot easily reach a compromise regarding the choice of the variety to be used ... Beyond all these difficulties is the problem of funding to generate the manuscripts and to publish them. As you can see, Dr Enyia has proved all of us (men of little faith) totally wrong. Professor Ozo-mekuri Ndimele

Commendation By The Federal Government

The Nigerian Educational Research & Development Council (NERDC) encourages state governments and relevant agencies to take up the challenge of developing their indigenous languages to meet the requirements of the National Policy on Education (NPE) for educational growth and overall development. In these regards, the Rivers State Readers Project is outstanding. It is a continuation of the pioneering giant stride by Late Professor Kay Williamson of blessed memory. Therefore, it is very delightful that Rivers State has more than any other states in Nigeria once again come to the realization of how languages are essential for development. Rivers State by this development, has adopted the UNESCO statements of recognition of languages and multilingualism as essential to eradication of extreme poverty and hunger, achieving universal basic education, responding to HIV/AIDS/Malaria, environmental sustainability and enjoyment of human rights. --- Garba D Gandu, Chief Research Officer, NERDC, Abuja

Constraints & Challenges

Severe Lack of Funding of the Project by non-release of Capital Allocation from 2008 to date (2012) Leading to the Stalling of Progress.

Drastic Reduction in Budgetary Allocation from N150m in 2009 to N30m in 2010 to 2013 due to Negative Advice the Government Against the Project by Detractors. Rivers State Readers Project is owed a total appropriated funds amounting to N224m from 2008 to 2012.
Impact of Global Economic Crisis on Anticipated Donors Limited Commitment by Some Language Owners.

RSRP 5-Phased Work Plan

The RSRP Language Development Project has a 5-Phased Work Plan, viz: 1. Orthography Development
(done)

2. 3. 4. & 5.

Curriculum Development Language Books Production Language Teachers Training Language Teachers Deployment
to use language the books to teach in the State School System.

Curriculum Development The development of the orthographies of these indigenous languages will facilitate mother tongue instruction, language curriculum development, development of textbooks, readers, and other instructional materials for language provisions of the National Policy on Education (NPE) and attainment of its objectives. -- NERDC

Curriculum Development (Contd.)

The development of language curricula is the responsibility of the NERDC through her Language Development Centre with State governments as collaborators and partners. All stages of the language curriculum development process i.e. Planning, Writing, Critique, Editorial, presentation to Joint Consultative Committee on Education (JCCE) and the National Council on Education (NCE) shall be facilitated by NERDC with input from the Rivers State Government through the Rivers State Readers Project office. -- NERDC

3 Stages of Federal Curriculum Development Work Plan

Curriculum Development Work Plan, under the Federal Government technical support, has 3 Workshops in sequence, viz:
1. Planning & Writing Workshop 2. Critique Workshop 3. Editorial & Testing Workshop

Suggested Way Forward

Mount Pressure on Government to Support the Language Project along with CARNIRIV and the Garden City Literary Festivals. Seek Alternative Sources of Funds to Alleviate the Severe Funding Constraint.
The Ethnic Nationalities Need to Step up Action to Save their Seriously Endangered Native Languages. Reach out to the LGAs for their Assistance in Funding the remaining 4 Phases of the Project. Seek Sundry Advocacy from the NASS & RSHA.

Concluding Thoughts
Haruna (2006) said: The Linguist / Specialist is to double the endeavour to protect the future of these languages by seeking the cooperation of the community / speakers (for as, Williamson {1990} has aptly stated, they are the decisive stakeholders): who alone have the emotional commitment to develop their language.

Emenanjo (1990) echoed this and said, language engineering requires cooperation between the speakers of the language on the one hand, and linguists, and educationists on the other hand.

Concluding Thoughts (Contd.)

When all is said and done, the fate of the endangered language may well lie in the hands of the owners of the language themselves and in their will to make it survive. (Bamgbose, 1993). This is more so because in the words of Samuel Johnson, I am always sorry when any language is lost, because languages are the pedigree of nations.

Concluding Thoughts (Contd.)

Thursday, 3/6/11 editorial of ThisDay Newspaper applauded Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State for canvassing the revival of Igbo language and tradition (and urging) other governors to take a cue from Governor Obis good example. Beyond teaching or learning the local language in schools, (language owners must) make efforts to communicate with their children in their mother tongue at home. A local language that is not spoken, sooner or later dies the native tongue of a person expresses his or her essence and (cultural) identity.

EPILOGUE
For Nigerian indigenous languages to be preserved and saved from total extinction, there is an imperative need for government at all levels to encourage production of indigenous language films.

We believe that this industry belongs to all of us and, therefore, we must work together to ensure its growth and development in accordance with international standards.
Ms Patricia Bala
Director-General, National Film and Video Censorship Board,

Punch, Wednesday 28 November 2012

EPILOGUE (Contd.)
It was obvious that the number of people speaking indigenous languages across Nigeria was diminishing. A lot of our young children do not know their languages; so there is a generation losing their languages and their identity. Indigenous language films were very critical to the development of any nation, (but currently) out of 500 languages spoken across the ethnic groups in Nigeria, only 84 of them are still in existence.
Ms Patricia Bala
Director-General of National Film and Video Censorship Board

Punch, Wednesday 28 November 2012

Final Thoughts The native tongue of a person expresses his essence and (cultural) identity.
ThisDay Newspaper, 3/6/2011

To strip a man of his manhood, you strip him of his identity.

Dr Martin Luther King, Jr

END