THERE has been growing concern over the possible extinction of Igbo language, and by extension, Igbo culture as a result of neglect by Igbo leaders and parents.
•It must not be allowed to die —Stakeholders•Make Igbo language of all business transactions in Igboland —Abia monarch
Emejulu said: “From early primary school, Igbo children should be taught in their mother tongue. At the senior primary level, English should be introduced as a foreign language. Then at the junior secondary level, they will be taught partly in English and Igbo; they will make a transition from Igbo to English; by that time they will have been solid in their mother tongues.
“The national policy on education was developed in 1984 to address this issue of language decline. It provides that children should be taught in their mother tongues for the first 9 years. Unfortunately, this is not happening. For some strange reasons, Igbo families believe in the Head Start rule, they think that if they start speaking English to their children from day one, they will grow to speak good English. Experience has proven this to be wrong.
“Even in the Houses of Assembly in the South East, including every Government function, Igbo language should be made the official language for business transactions. Interpreters can be used when necessary”, the monarch suggested. She said: “The first step towards preventing Igbo language from dying is for parents to begin to explain to their children that speaking Igbo language is for their good. They should begin to teach them the importance of speaking and the danger of not speaking their mother tongue.
“Secondly, our Governments can make it a law that the Igbo language will be the only official language of communication in every Igbo gathering”.“We have IWA schools in Lagos where the Igbo language is taught. We are making efforts to extend the same to South East states. We in IWA encourage Igbo mothers everywhere in the world to proudly speak Igbo to our children”.The Director, of the Centre for Igbo Studies, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Prof.
“The notion that speaking the Igbo Language to a child at his formative stage will impede his ability to learn the English Language is very wrong”, Agbedo said.A community leader in Awka, Anambra State, Nnamdi Obiaknyia said only Igbo people can save the Igbo language through deliberate efforts to change the negative attitude toward the language.
He added: “Parents often decide to bring up their children in other languages than their own. By doing so, they hope to overcome discrimination, attain equality of opportunity, and derive economic benefits for themselves and their children. A Ghana-based Nigerian teacher, Victor Onyekaozuru in his opinion said the state governments in Igbo land should make passing the language compulsory for pupils and students to be promoted to the next class in schools. This, he said, will accord the language more regard and a place of pride.
Okenwa spoke at the maiden edition of Nchawaputa , organized by the Center for Memories as part of the event to mark International Youth Day. “Igbo youths need to rise to the challenge of sustaining the entrepreneurial spirit. I have often wondered where this generation of Elumelus, Innosons, Okonjos, and Onyemas is from.
“Yes, we are resilient, but that should not always confine us to being at the receiving end. Igbo must rise to the challenge of sitting at policy tables to sponsor policies that favor our fortunes. To that end, young Igbo must learn to be proactive and assertive, mastering the art of negotiation. high rate of maternal mortality put at 512 deaths per 1,000 live births in Nigeria, a Non-Governmental Organization, Hacey Health Initiative, organized a workshop to sensitize pregnant women on the dangers of the menace.
The program officer further disclosed that maternal mortality and neo-natal mortality rates are crucial health indicators that reflect the overall quality of a country’s healthcare system and the well-being of its women. He attributed the high rates of maternal and neonatal deaths in Nigeria to three factors; delay in deciding to seek maternal healthcare, delay in locating and arriving at a medical facility, and delay in receiving skilled pregnancy care upon arrival at the health facility, especially in the rural areas.
Speaking at the workshop, Health Authority Secretary, Aba South Council area, Mrs. Glory Nnennaya Okwara, sensitized the pregnant women and nursing mothers on how to take care of themselves and their babies. Their grouse is that an advertisement to fill the vacant VC position shut out their members because of the requirement that prospective candidates must possess a PhD. According to the doctors, their Fellowships in various branches of medicine are equivalent to a PhD, adding that many of them have been professors for decades.
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