Nigeria’s Yoruba language is second most spoken foreign language in Baltimore schools

February 12, 2019 at 08:00 am | NEWS

Mildred Europa Taylor
MILDRED EUROPA TAYLOR | Staff Writer


The city of Baltimore, U.S., has a record of helping immigrants, both documented and undocumented by creating a welcoming environment for them as compared to other cities.

Its school system has, therefore, seen an increase in enrollment over the past few years, and this is largely from immigrants. These immigrant students, according to school officials, are enriching their schools but there is a problem.


Aside from finding additional seats and logistics, most of these students are struggling to catch up with the written and spoken English since their native tongue is not English.


According to a report by The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore County has, within five years, added more than 5,000 students to its fold. More than half of the students, that is, about 3,500, are recent immigrants or children whose families speak another language.

From 3.9 per cent of students that spoke English as a second language five years ago, the figure has increased to 6.7 per cent.

Currently, the second most commonly spoken foreign language in Baltimore County schools after Spanish is Yoruba, a language predominantly spoken in West Africa, particularly, Nigeria.

Nigerians are increasing in number in Baltimore because they already have a family in the area and are in the country legally under rules that allow for immigration for the purpose of reunifying families, said the report by The Baltimore Sun.

Statistics from the Migration Policy Institute state that nationally, the Nigerian population grew more than 50 per cent from 2010 to 2017. There are now about 12,000 Nigerians living in the Baltimore metropolitan area.

Many of them were doctors, engineers, and other professionals in Nigeria and have moved to Baltimore to regain their status.

Officials say that across the system, students in Baltimore come from 116 countries and speak 97 different languages. Apart from Nigeria, most of these foreign-based students are natives of El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, and Pakistan.

The increase in immigrant enrollment has compelled school officials to come up with new ways of teaching as immigrant students tend to grapple with the English language.

At Bedford Elementary, for example, teachers are adding pictures, graphs and charts to their lessons to facilitate learning for those whose native tongue is not English.

Teachers are also getting training from the school’s ESOL — English for Speakers of Other Languages – teacher. Under this programme, immigrant students receive extra help with English to make them academically proficient in the language as native speakers, the report noted.

School authorities further identify objects at the premises with vocabulary labels in three of the languages spoken there – English, French, and Spanish.

Once the students catch up, they even perform academically well than their American mates, said county officials.

https://face2faceafrica.com/article/nigerias-yoruba-language-is-second-most-spoken-foreign-language-in-baltimore-schools

Actually find this hard to believe. What is the percentage of the 3,500 recent immigrants who are Yorubas that makes it the 2nd most widely spoken foreign language in a city with a population of over 600,000?

kayfra:
Nigeria’s Yoruba language is second most spoken foreign language in Baltimore schools

February 12, 2019 at 08:00 am | NEWS

Mildred Europa Taylor
MILDRED EUROPA TAYLOR | Staff Writer


The city of Baltimore, U.S., has a record of helping immigrants, both documented and undocumented by creating a welcoming environment for them as compared to other cities.

Its school system has, therefore, seen an increase in enrollment over the past few years, and this is largely from immigrants. These immigrant students, according to school officials, are enriching their schools but there is a problem.


Aside from finding additional seats and logistics, most of these students are struggling to catch up with the written and spoken English since their native tongue is not English.


According to a report by The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore County has, within five years, added more than 5,000 students to its fold. More than half of the students, that is, about 3,500, are recent immigrants or children whose families speak another language.

From 3.9 per cent of students that spoke English as a second language five years ago, the figure has increased to 6.7 per cent.

Currently, the second most commonly spoken foreign language in Baltimore County schools after Spanish is Yoruba, a language predominantly spoken in West Africa, particularly, Nigeria.

Nigerians are increasing in number in Baltimore because they already have a family in the area and are in the country legally under rules that allow for immigration for the purpose of reunifying families, said the report by The Baltimore Sun.

Statistics from the Migration Policy Institute state that nationally, the Nigerian population grew more than 50 per cent from 2010 to 2017. There are now about 12,000 Nigerians living in the Baltimore metropolitan area.

Many of them were doctors, engineers, and other professionals in Nigeria and have moved to Baltimore to regain their status.

Officials say that across the system, students in Baltimore come from 116 countries and speak 97 different languages. Apart from Nigeria, most of these foreign-based students are natives of El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, and Pakistan.

The increase in immigrant enrollment has compelled school officials to come up with new ways of teaching as immigrant students tend to grapple with the English language.

At Bedford Elementary, for example, teachers are adding pictures, graphs and charts to their lessons to facilitate learning for those whose native tongue is not English.

Teachers are also getting training from the school’s ESOL — English for Speakers of Other Languages – teacher. Under this programme, immigrant students receive extra help with English to make them academically proficient in the language as native speakers, the report noted.

School authorities further identify objects at the premises with vocabulary labels in three of the languages spoken there – English, French, and Spanish.

Once the students catch up, they even perform academically well than their American mates, said county officials.

https://face2faceafrica.com/article/nigerias-yoruba-language-is-second-most-spoken-foreign-language-in-baltimore-schools

OkunrinOloro:
Actually find this hard to believe. What is the percentage of the 3,500 recent immigrants who are Yorubas that makes it the 2nd most widely spoken foreign language in a city with a population of over 600,000?

If 1000 recent immigrant speak spanish and the next biggest group is 100 Yoruba speakers. It still makes it second

What's so incredulous about that?

How did you arrive at that breakdown? There are no such figures in the article.

kayfra:


If 1000 recent immigrant speak spanish and the next biggest group is 100 Yoruba speakers. It still makes it second

What's so incredulous about that?

OkunrinOloro:
How did you arrive at that breakdown? There are no such figures in the article.

There are no such figures, that's why I saif "if". But i just showed you it's not farfetched.

There's no reason a local baltimore journalist will write the article if there's nothing to it

And it's even in the local paper. Baltimore Sun

https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-county/bs-md-co-immigrant-enrollment-20190204-story.html

"More than half of those new students, about 3,500, are recent immigrants or children whose families speak another language. Five years ago, 3.9 percent of the county’s students spoke English as a second language. This year, such students make up 6.7 percent of county enrollment.

While the largest number of foreign-born students are from Central America, the newcomers are from around the world. The second most commonly spoken foreign language in Baltimore County schools after Spanish is Yoruba, a language of Nigeria. Across the system, students come from 116 countries and speak 97 different languages."

Nigerian-born immigrants speaking their language in Baltimore, and this is news?

Impressive it has to be admitted.