My people, make we gist about this matter wey dey hot for education sector for Naija. Na Prof Dipo Salami, wey don see plenty for this life, don drop some serious gist on top Federal Government ban wey no allow our pikin dem learn in their mother tongue for primary schools.
This 74-year-old man no dey dull. E talk say e grateful to God say him fit reach this age, because average naija person suppose live only 56 years. Na achievement wey e no take lightly. But wetin dem dey do for education? Na wah!
Prof don retire from Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), but no be say him dey rest. Him don carry leg waka go the American University of Nigeria as professor wey dey support dem to set their postgraduate programme. But na the weather for North-East wey no gree am chill, so now, e dey teach online.
As for the ban on mother tongue, light don flash for him eye! E talk say this kain ban dey strange because everywhere wey dem dey reason am well, dem dey discover say picking fit understand wetin dem teach am better if dem use him language. Dem no be teach say angle na ‘ikun’ for Yoruba? Children fit reason am better that way! But e dey vex say dem no dey see wetin dey happen for obodo oyinbo, wey dem dey japa from local language to foreign language.
E remember how some teachers dey use Yoruba to teach English because dem know say no matter wetin dem talk, e go still dey use di mother tongue. Sometimes, even pidgin dey enter class sef! Na politics dey make am hard for di matter make we no carry our language go school. Dem wan make pikin learn English, but na misconception be dat one. If dem fit learn wetin dem dey teach am in Yoruba language, dem go sabi am well more!
For the issue of making education more effective, e know sey dem dey lobby for vice-chancellor position, but him no wan go chop political stew. E talk say education fit no go become political bait if dem leave the academic part intact. E explain say university system no suppose dey mix with politics wey no fit help our pikin learn better.
Concerning the courses wey dey for school, Professor Salami no gree say na true sey everything dey go wrong. Even with challenges like funding and poor staffing, he talk say di school dey try to keep up with di global trend, especially with AI and other technical courses. E dey vex when people dey talk sey we dey turn out half-baked graduates, as e believe sey every set of students get their unique level of brilliance.
For him, reforms wey go dey necessary na to make schools focus on practical use of language, not just the theory. E dey complain sey NUC dey limit wetin universities fit teach. E dey call for make dem allow schools choose the courses wey fit work for dem, like dem dey do for Harvard or Cambridge! Everybody no fit dey do di same thing if we wan grow.
Finally, e no forget to hammer on top the funding issue. E dey shout say government need to drop more money for education, especially since UNESCO dey push for 15-20 percent of di national budget to education, but we dey waka for low percentage. Na serious matter, but Prof dey hope sey di new government go fit improve wetin dem dey do.
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