Mrs Soludo Urges Parents To Teach Children Their Mother Tongue
Wife of Anambra State Governor, Mrs Nonye Soludo, has tasked parents to prioritize teaching their children their mother tongue and culture, rather than just foreign dialects, languages, and ways of life.
She gave the advice in Awka, during an event to commemorate this year’s International Mother Language Day.
She pointed out that teaching children basic ways of life, including their mother tongue, social values and traditions, falls within the primary jurisdiction of parenting.
She explained that some of the major causes of social problems stem from children being ignorant of their social norms and cultural integrity, which include the values of hard work, honesty, patience, and truth.
She pointed out that parents should understand how important it is to raise children 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 expressed dismay at informal school regulations forbidding school children from speaking their mother tongues in classrooms, noting that one’s language has no inhibition to learning and academic intelligence.
She further called on parents to lead the campaign on revival of mother tongues, especially the Igbo language, stressing the need to institutionalize the language as every child’s basic learning tool.
Mrs Soludo noted the importance of mother languages in reminding 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.
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