LAGOS SCHOOLS TO CONDUCT WEDNESDAY ACTIVITIES IN YORUBA

All Wednesday activities in public and private schools in Lagos State will henceforth be conducted in Yoruba Language. To underscore her seriousness about the implementation of the Yoruba Language preservation and Promotion Law, the Lagos State government has translated and released a Yoruba version of the National Anthem to Yoruba to enable students learn and render it daily on the assembly.

The Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr. Idiat Oluranti Adebule who disclosed this in a meeting with Principals and Head teachers of Public Schools in the state, said the translation was done by the Egbe Akomolede Yoruba, a group of teachers who rendered the Yoruba version to delight of the audience. Copies of the anthems will be distributed to schools this week she enthused.

Adebule added that efforts are on to translate major subject textbooks to Yoruba language to enable the pupils and students read them in mother tongue and assimilate better. The observed dearth of Yoruba language teachers in our schools is being  recruit      to addressed as efforts are geared towards recruit them to ensure that the Yoruba preservation law serves its particular purpose.

Speaking at the event, the Chairman, House Committee on Education, Hon. Lanre Ogunyemi noted that language is a tool of nation building. He observed that all developed nations such as Japan, Germany, Britain, France, China etc all teach their young ones in their languages.

Ogunyemi opined that contrary to the school of thought which says that that the House of Assembly was promoting tribalism, the Yoruba Language and Preservation law, the lawmakers were rather patriotic as the understanding of the major languages of the nation is an impetus to national cohesion. The law maker noted that the position of the assembly has been vindicated by the directives of the military that soldiers should learn the various major languages of the nation.

Responding, members of the All Nigerian Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS) and the Association of Primary School Head teachers of Nigeria (AOPSHON) lauded the initiative and promised to implement the law to the letter.