… Says it is Also Primary Aspect of Child Raising”
By Daniel Ezeigwe
The wife of the governor of Anambra State, Mrs Nonye Soludo, has asked parents to prioritize teaching their children their mother tongue and culture over foreign dialects, languages, and ways of life.
The governor’s wife, who stated this in Awka while making a speech in commemoration of this year’s International Mother Language Day, noted that teaching a child basic ways of life, including their mother tongue, social values and traditions, falls within the primary jurisdiction of parenting.
The governor’s wife explained that one of the main causes of social rots originates from a child not being ignorant of their cultural integrity, including the values of hard work, honesty, patience, and truth.
She stated that every parent should understand how important it is to raise a child with the right intention, teaching them to appreciate where they come from, their mother language, social norms, and attitudinal responsibilities.
Mrs Soludo further explained that one of the things that defines a community’s uniqueness is the distinctiveness of its language, pointing out that while one’s mother language establishes originality, it gives the speaker a strong identity of whole culture.
The governor’s wife frowned at informal school regulations forbidding school children from speaking their mother tongues in classrooms, explaining that one’s language has no inhibition to learning and academic intelligence.
She also noted that parents should lead the revival of dying mother tongues, most importantly the Igbo language, stressing the need to institutionalise the language as every child’s basic learning tool.
She explained that mother languages are important to remind speakers about their roots, struggles, uniqueness, successes, and originality and to widen their networks and appreciation of other global cultures.
International Mother Language Day, celebrated worldwide on February 21st, celebrates the linguistic diversity of several cultures worldwide.
