Mr Richard Abodunrin, Proprietor of Top Nursery and Primary School, Ilorin, has advised parents to speak the native language to their children.
Abodunrin, who made the call in Ilorin on Friday said that most parents were discouraging their wards from speaking their indigenous language by always enforcing English language in their homes.
According to him, most parents are not helping in the advocacy for indigenous language in the country as they prioritised English language above their native language.
” You go to some household today, the rules is ‘Speak English’ as their is no room for local dialect.
” Parents are not helping. Why must you refer to your own native language as local or vernacular? You are prioritising foreign language to the detriment of your original language.
” Be proud of your native language. Speak indigenous language to your children and let them see it as important and necessary.
” Let us stop to underate our own indigenous language. Let us instill in our children the need to embrace and speak our language anywhere in the world,” he said.
The propeitor, however advised education stakeholders to make indigenous language compulsory subjects in school curriculum.
He said the importance of native language must be stressed in classrooms, apart from individual homes.