Okpebholo makes Edo indigenous languages compulsory in schools

Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, has announced the return of Edo languages to the school curriculum across the state.

The Governor made this known during a courtesy visit by the leadership of the Esan Okpa Initiative to the Government House in Benin City on Thursday.

According to a statement from his Chief Press Secretary, Fred Itua, Okpebholo reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to preserving Edo’s rich cultural heritage and promoting indigenous knowledge.

The Esan Okpa delegation, led by its president, Mathew Egbadon, included technocrats, business leaders, and community stakeholders who commended the governor for the progress recorded in less than one year of his administration.

Okpebholo, expressing gratitude to the Esan people for their support, described them as a “critical pillar” for the success of his government.

He also revealed that his administration had instructed the Ministry of Education to intensify efforts in school rehabilitation.

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“I have told my Commissioner for Education that we must provide seats and desks for schools. We will continue massive renovation and fencing, provide boreholes and toilets, and start installing solar lights in schools.

“We are already working on a school access programme where our children can have hands-on experience in computer studies—so they can see and touch technology in real time.

On language, we must start from home because charity begins at home. We will reintroduce the teaching of Edo languages in our school system. Let every tribe begin to learn and speak their language so that no language goes into extinction.”

The move mirrors a similar initiative by the Lagos State Government in 2024, which approved Yoruba Language as a key subject for assessing pupils’ knowledge and thinking ability in the placement test by Continuous Assessment Scores (CAS).

The Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, Mr. Abayomi Abolaji, explained that the study of the Yoruba Language was already part of the state’s education curriculum. He said Primary Six pupils moving into government junior secondary schools would be tested in the Yoruba Language in the 2025 Placement Test by CAS.

Abolaji stressed the importance of promoting the teaching and learning of Yoruba as an indigenous language, saying it enriches the culture and total way of life of the people.

He added that the policy was reached through a consensus among stakeholders including the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), the Conference of Private Schools Association in Lagos (COSPAIL), the Lagos State Examinations Board, Egbe Akomolede ati Asa Yoruba, the Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board (LASUBEB), and the Basic Education Services Department of the Ministry.

He also noted that UNESCO had endorsed a global policy encouraging the use of a child’s native language for early education up to primary three to strengthen learning and cultural preservation.