CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Language is an indispensible tool for the education of man. Language is a learned, systematic, symbolic, vocal behavior which is culturally acquired and a universal mark of man (Mgbodile, 2002). Various theories of language, according to Beller (2008), agree that language is specifically human and has a biological basis. The writer believes that language acquisition is not possible without a language environment. Language and education are inseparable because the use of language as a medium of instruction in the teaching/learning situation goes a long way in determining the success achieved by the learner. Language, according to Beller (2008) is a means of communicating ideas and feelings from one person to another. It may be verbal or non verbal. It is also a basic tool for acquiring knowledge which is very important in learning (Beller, 2008). It is a system of arbitrary vocal symbols which permits all people in a given society to communicate and interact with one another. Language is fundamentally a series of sounds which is meaningful only when these sounds are grouped together in certain definite arrangements (Adegbile, 1996). According to Olajide (2008), the role of language in intellectual development cannot be over emphasized. It makes man because it informs, invigorates and propels his mind in the acquisition of knowledge and values. For this study, language is the means through which human beings communicate with one another.
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Language is a system of communication in speech and writing that is used by people in a particular community, state or country, according to Hornby (2005). Also, Bamidele (2005) observed that language is a decisive factor in the development of thinking, formation of concepts and the demonstration of potentials and intelligence. Hornby added that learning involves language not only as a passive medium for receiving instruction but also as an essential central concept. In view of this, difficulty in language hampers understanding and development in all areas of education. It is in line with this difficulty that the Federal Government of Nigeria, in its National Policy on Education (FRN, 2004) stated that the mother-tongue or language of the immediate environment should be the medium of instruction at the pre-primary and lower basic primary levels of education while English Language will be taught as a subject. This eases the difficulty of understanding the unfamiliar words of the English Language, hence the need to use the mother tongue which the children are familiar with in pre-primary schools.
Pre-primary or early childhood school is the institution for educating young school children before they enter into formal schooling in primary schools. In the Nigerian education system, pre-primary education, as defined by the Federal Government of Nigeria in the National Policy on Education (FRN, 2004:6), is “education given to children prior to their entering the primary schools. It includes the crèche, nursery and kindergarten”. United Nations Education Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO (2001) defines early childhood as the period from birth to eight years old. As a significant period of remarkable brain growth, these years constitute the critical foundation for cognitive, linguistic and general developmental milestones. UNESCO advocates Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programmes that attend to health, nutrition, security and learning which provide for children’s holistic development. Early childhood initiative stresses the overriding importance of early childhood cognitive development.
A child’s cognitive development during early childhood, which includes building skills such as pre-reading, language, vocabulary and numeracy, begins from the moment a child is born. Thus, Orekan (2009) stated that children who come to school with solid foundations in their mother-tongue develop stronger literacy abilities in the school language when parents and other caregivers like grandparents are able to spend time with their children and tell stories or discuss issues with them in a way that develops their mother-tongue vocabulary and concepts. The children come to school well prepared to learn the school language and succeed educationally (Cummins, 2000). The development of children’s mother-tongue is a strong predictor of their second language development. Children build up a strong conceptual picture of the world and academic concepts through a language they understand first and later on transfer that to a second or third language (Webley, 2006). Pre-primary education operationally is the education given to children below six years before they go into primary school.
Pre-primary school children are the children who attend pre-primary schools. Children at this stage are full of curiosity, inquisitiveness and are always exploring. They are also ready for language skills development (Ibiam & Ugwu, 2009). These early years are important in an individual’s life because the period is crucial and sensitive in the sense that the child is delicate, mentally alert and learns very fast. Impressions and influences made at this period are lasting and can make or mar the child.
The objectives of pre-primary education, as stated by the Federal Republic of Nigeria in the National Policy on Education (FRN,2004) include, among others: to effect a smooth transition from home to school; prepare the child for the primary level of education; provide adequate care and supervision for the children while their parents are at work and inculcate social norms. Others are to inculcate in the child the spirit of enquiry and creativity, through the exploration of nature, the environment, ant, music and playing with toys etc; develop a sense of co-operation and team spirit. To learn good habits, especially good health habits and learn the rudiments of numbers letters, colours, shapes forms etc through play.
The policy further stipulates a number of measures to be taken by government to ensure the achievement of the objectives of early childhood/pre-primary education. One of such measures is that the medium of instruction will principally be the mother tongue (MT) or language of the immediate environment. The need to teach in the mother tongue is both educational and cultural. Williams (2009) pointed out that the effective medium of development of a child’s education is through his mother tongue. The cultural argument stems from the obvious evidence that the use of a particular language ensures the maintenance and cultural survival of that language.
According to Gagne (2004), mother-tongue refers to language “teaching” by parents and/or other direct attendants, traditionally often the mother, without any participation of school or other institutions. Hornby (2005) defines mother-tongue as one’s native language. Hawkins (2004) defines native as belonging to a particular place of birth. The mother-tongue categorizes the child’s environment and is the natural basis on which verbal skills can be built. Children learn through communication in a language which they understand. Highlighting this, the United Nations Education Scientific Cultural Organization (UNESCO, 2004) claims that the best medium of teaching a child is his mother-tongue because he learns more quickly through a familiar linguistic medium. Also, many Nigerian educators like Adeyemi (2004) and Taiwo (2006) are of the opinion that children are best taught in the mother tongue.
Furthermore, Akinbote and Ogunsawo (2003) are of the opinion that the use of the mother-tongue in teaching and learning in the early years helps not only to preserve and value one’s culture but also to develop it lexically. According to the authors, the use of English Language in early childhood and primary schools makes the average nursery/ primary school child unable to be sufficiently literate in either the mother-tongue or English Language. The writers feel that to use English Language at that level will lead to the children having mental translation of all concepts presented in English Language if used as a medium of instruction for the children. These researchers believe that a citizen that is literate even only in the mother-tongue will be sufficiently equipped to live a useful life in the fast changing world. Therefore, for permanent literacy to be promoted in pre-primary and primary schools, the use of the mother-tongue as the medium of instruction in schools ought to be encouraged.
When children are offered opportunities to learn in their mother-tongue, they are more likely to enroll and succeed in school and their parents are more likely to communicate better with the teachers and participate in their children’s learning (Arnold, Barlelt, Gowani and Merali, 2005 & UNESCO, 2007). It is therefore believed by many scholars that for education to be meaningful and for better understanding of concepts, the language policy should be enforced from the pre-primary or early childhood education level. In line with the language policy (FRN, 2004), the federal government says it shall develop the orthography of many more Nigerian languages. Also, the government promised to ensure that teacher education is geared towards the production of teachers in large numbers. In addition, the government is to produce textbooks in the different Nigerian languages.
To date, it has been observed that the language policy has not been effectively implemented. Fakeye (2011) observed that what happens in the classroom totally deviates from what the policy stated. The writer noted also that what happens in public primary schools is in sharp contrast with what happens in the private primary schools.
Public primary schools are those owned and operated by the government at the federal, state and local government levels. The government is responsible for everything about such schools. The teachers there are employed and paid by the government. Private primary schools, on the other hand, are those owned and managed by individuals, churches, organizations, among others. They are supposed to be supervised by agencies of the government responsible for maintaining standards and quality but most often, the government does not carry out this supervisory role. Consequently, these schools are run according to the whims and caprices of the owners.
