By Okechukwu Onuegbu
Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Friday, sought the support of governors, lawmakers and other stakeholders from Southeast region to teach Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) in Igbo language.
The President General, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Engr. Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, made the call at Awka, Anambra State capital when Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, in partnership with Odinala Cultural Heritage Foundation (OCHE Igbo) inaugurated a committee to develop curriculum for STEM with Igbo language as language of instruction and evaluation.
Iwuanyanwu, represented by Professor Fredrick Eze, who is Enugu State Chairman of the apex Igbo socio-cultural group, averred that supporting the projects would help the entire black nation get better understanding of the subjects while promoting development, language and culture of the Igbo.
Also speaking, the Executive Director of OCHIE Igbo STEM School, Mr Okoro Chinedum Benedict, said the target of the project was to raise a generation of Igbo children who could innovate, conceive, invent, and interpret phenomena in the Igbo language.
"This way, educational barriers and challenges associated with learning of sciences in our primary and secondary schools will be a thing of the past. Over the years, educationists, researchers, and curriculum development experts argued that children perform better when taught in their mother tongue," he added.
On his part, the Vice Chancellor, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Professor Charles Esimone, commended the foundation for the initiative, noting that the programme would assist in promoting the use of mother tongue in modern technology.
Earlier in a presentation, the former Minister of Power and Vice Chancellor, University on the Niger, Prof Chinedu Nebo, charged all the universities in South East region and governors to make Igbo Language compulsory for students and those seeking government employments.
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