The Kogi State Government has developed a curriculum to be introduced in schools for the teaching and learning of Igala and Ebira indigenous languages across the state.

The state’s Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Rosemary Osikoya, disclosed this on Wednesday in Lokoja after receiving a report of the Committee mandated to develop a viable curriculum for Igala and Ebira indigenous languages.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Government had on April 16, set up a nine-man committee to develop curriculum for the languages to be introduced into basic and secondary schools in the state.

Osikoya said the essence of education is transformation of the culture of the society to a child through spoken language.

According to her, a child at birth comes in contact with the outside world through symbols, signs, letters and other materials used for communication.

She explained that the National Policy on Education stipulated that States should use indigenous languages as means of transmitting instructions to children at the basic education levels.

Osikoya said that the promotion of indigenous culture was meant to bring about the total development of the character and personality of the child.

“Kogi Government in April, constituted a committee to draft a curriculum for Igala and Ebira languages of which the committee has submitted its report today.

“The Okun indigenous language in Kogi had already been captured under the wider Yoruba Language with its already established curriculum,” she said.

The commissioner commended the Chairman of the committee for accomplishing the task within record time and for their passion for the languages.

She also commended Governor Yahaya Bello for giving her the privilege to inject ideas at solving problems that had bedeviled the education sector.

“We thanked the governor for his political will in transforming the sector, and for graciously approving the framework for the transformation of the sector,” she said.

The commissioner promised to table the report before the governor for onward transmission to the Nigeria Education Research and Development Council (NERDC) for ratification.

She urged the committee to avail the government with the available textbooks on the subject matter, and where and how to source them, while promising to involve the State Printing Press in the publication of the books to maximise profit.

Earlier, the Chairman of the committee, Dr Friday Ikani, thanked the governor and the commissioner for the opportunity given to them to serve the community.

He, however, advised the government not to keep the report on the shelf, but rather pass the report to the appropriate Federal Government agency for adoption into the state’s education system.

 

NAN