FG Approves Compulsory Use Of Mother Tongue For Instruction In All Primary Schools
The Federal Government has approved a new National Language Policy making the various mother tongues compulsory medium of instruction from primary one to six.
Briefing State House correspondents after the Federal Executive Council, Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, noted that the policy takes immediate effect.
He stated that the government is aware that its implementation will be difficult but it is necessary to promote the cultivation and use of all Nigerian languages.
Adamu revealed that as of today, 29 languages have become extinct, leaving the country with 625 languages.
For this reason, he disclosed that the mother tongue will be used exclusively for the first six years of education, and then combined with the English language from Junior Secondary School.
Adamu said even though the policy has officially taken effect, it can only be fully implemented when government develops instructional materials and qualified teachers are available.
He further explained that the mother tongue to be used in each school will be the dominant language spoken by the community where it is located.
The Minister said FEC had equally approved the upgrade of JAMB portal to enhance and expand its performance and capacity.
FEC also approved the engagement of a consultancy firm at over N600 million to develop and deploy Contract Administration System for ministries, departments, and agencies of government, as well as the digitisation of the process of Solicitors’ Development.
The Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, told newsmen that the decision would address the deficiencies associated with contracts that would expose. Nigeria to higher risks and damages.
“We are all aware of key incidences that happened as it relate to contract administration in Nigeria. One of them that fresh in our memory is the P & ID on account of which the Federal Government was by arbitral award subjected to a liability of over 10 billion dollars on account of deficiency in the contract, which translated to a higher risk. We’re equally aware of the global contract relating to Ajaokuta, the defect of which stagnated our development towards Industrialisation, arising from litigation”, Malami stressed.
Similarly, approval was granted to the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation to go into a public-private partnership on research and development of satellite technology and equipment for the provision of cost-effective satellite broadband service to rural areas.
The partnership, according to the ministry, is at no cost to the government, but that the concessional period is 15 years, explaining that the government stands to gain about 1.5 billion Naira within the period.
The Minister of State, Budget and National Planning, Prince Clem Agba, said the 3rd Quarter GDP revealed a positive performance of 2.25 percent, which is however lower than the 4.03 percent realised in 2021.
The Minister attributed the development to the base effect of performance in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic period.
Prince Clem Agba explained that the non-oil sector accounted for 94. 34 percent in real terms.
FEC also approved a public-private partnership requested by the Nigeria Police Force to develop its property at Maitama for senior officers of the force.
