A study was done, using Igbo to teach basic science to secondary school students, and they achieved better results in Igbo. http://www.slideshare.net/AlexanderDecker/effects-of-language-of-instruction-on-junior-secondary-school-jss-students-academic-achievement-in-basic-science

Thanks scholti.

Thanks for that link, Scholti.

I think by now, it's become well-established that the idea of instruction in Igbo shouldn't be considered as a fantasy or some far-fetched idea. The study has even come after the fact to give statistical significance to what Igbo people should have long since come to terms with. So, at this point now, the question should be on implementation. The researcher who did the study recommended that "curriculum planners and policy makers [...] stabilize and standardize Igbo language for effective use in teaching [...]." But again, how?

That single question [how?] is a lot to answer, I know. The complications are then compounded all the more when we begin to realize that the true answer isn't standardizing and stabilizing Igbo, but rather making it the medium for both communication and instruction. That is the true issue. For almost as long as we have had Igbo language studies, we have had standard setters (that's nearly 400 years and counting). Yet, we still have to have this discussion... and in English. This isn't to belittle the work that standard setters have done. In fact, I do not hold them responsible in any way, because this clearly isn't a standard setting issue. It's an implementation issue.

This is where I believe schooling comes in, especially private school. I focus on private school, because of the legal implications of attempting to implement what we're discussing at the public level. A private institution will not have those same bottlenecks. For the most part, we would have relatively free range with our choice of implementation.

So far, Ezeagu has put up a very good response. I'd still like to hear more from others, if others are willing. Of course, I've also got my own thoughts on implementation, but I don't want to share them just yet.

Since English is the exclusive language of instruction in Nigeria, setting up an Igbo-run school is not feasible in the short run, because the Igbo, for the most part, have become acclimatised to the completely English-run educational system, and its dominant economic rewards and security.

What I think is feasible in the short term, is setting up an online academy where all sorts of courses or instructions would be offered in Igbo, accessible to all, with the widest diffusion. This academy would evangelize the Igbo language as a potent language of instruction. This ofcourse would need the participation of at least some Igbos, who are willing to volunteer their time to do translations and writings. This site would be a go-to for any speaker of the language seeking help for anything, from, cv-writing, travelling to manufacturing. It would have news reports and a radio platform.

We have to stoop to conquer. Many Igbos, faced with the incontrovertible evidence of their language offering similar instructions, would be converted (and actively campaign) to the idea of getting instructions non-virtually, privately or publicly in Igbo.

I am ready to join this train with like-minded people today. We must move beyond thoughts and words into action.

scholti, some middle class Nigerians pay a lot of money sending their children to international French (instructed) schools, why not Igbo for cheaper?

http://lyceefrancaislagos.ac-nantes.fr/
http://www.aefe.fr/reseau-scolaire-mondial/rechercher-un-etablissement/nigeria-abuja-ecole-francaise-marcel-pagnol

The study shows that Igbo-speaking children actually do better with Igbo as instruction. The only challenges I see for an Igbo school is overcoming peoples conditioning of seeing their language as less than English in academia and backing the campaign up by adding better vocabulary to Igbo.

Mods.. Odumchi, Bigfrancis21, Fulaman198 we can't see Ezeagu's post. I'm guessing it's the bot that's responsible. I don't know if there's anything either of you can do about it. If not, we'll just wait for the designated time to pass. No worries.

Just fixed it. The spambot confused his post for spam. I know this doesn't necessarily apply in this case, but in the future try to avoid posting lengthy posts or posts containing links to other websites in quick succession. These are all things that trigger the spambot. Oftentimes, it's just pure chi ojoo. Ezeagu, ewekwa iwe.

Thanks odumchi.

Anyway, to summarise my last post, if some Nigerians can spend millions of naira sending their kids to French instructed schools which French curriculum, Igbo speaking kids can be easily tutored in Igbo instructed schools.

ezeagu:
Thanks odumchi.

Anyway, to summarise my last post, if some Nigerians can spend millions of naira sending their kids to French instructed schools which French curriculum, Igbo speaking kids can be easily tutored in Igbo instructed schools.

Nigerians sending their kids to French instructed schools is a huge disgrace. Wannabe Europeans I tell you.

Fulaman198, I think it's about time they get an indigenous alternative.

ezeagu:
Fulaman198, I think it's about time they get an indigenous alternative.

I agree wholeheartedly

Nigeria is commiting an irreversibly grave mistake the future generations might live to regret, if the current trend is not reversed. Look at most countries in the world, with their innovations and inventions, are all educated in their indegenous language, unlike Nigeria who choosed to adopt the language of its colonial masters and conversely, aligned a ''negative prestige'' to its native languages. I have written a thread about this in the past, but as expected, it achieved less correspondence, as we are all caught up in the rat race while ignoring the very basic of our existence, our prestige and uniqueness as a group, and the beauty of our culture.

Ezeagu,

I wish I can share your optimism of Igbos sending their children to Igbo-run schools, but my observations lead me to the pessimism of it happening in the short run save for a radical government policy that would reorientate the language situation. I still maintain, an online academy would be an appropriate start. This would have the advantage of showcasing what a physical Igbo academic presence would do, including the deployment of new Igbo specialist terms.

There is absolutely no doubt that the Igbo language is capable of any level of academic usage and that Igbos would perform better in their native tongue, it is just that a lot of Igbos are stuck to the security, the English-only education system in Nigeria offers.

scholti:
Ezeagu,

I wish I can share your optimism of Igbos sending their children to Igbo-run schools, but my observations lead me to the pessimism of it happening in the short run save for a radical government policy that would reorientate the language situation. I still maintain, an online academy would be an appropriate start. This would have the advantage of showcasing what a physical Igbo academic presence would do, including the deployment of new Igbo specialist terms.

There is absolutely no doubt that the Igbo language is capable of any level of academic usage and that Igbos would perform better in their native tongue, it is just that a lot of Igbos are stuck to the security, the English-only education system in Nigeria offers.

Oh, I see what you mean, that's why we were talking more about private schools rather than government run schools. Of course it would be a long shot converting a lot of the government schools right now. ChinenyeN was questioning me about how a proposed private school would be run if i opened one, like the lycée schools, German schools, and American schools etc. Also the plethora of Afrikaans run schools in South Africa, but obviously that language has a different history and 'weight'.

It isn't impossible to have Igbo-run schools. Infact I attribute their absence to the poor thinking skills that largely defines the Nigerian leadership. It is just that in the short-run we must stoop to conquer. I posted my '100 scientific terms translated into Igbo' in an Igbo facebook group, I joined recently and some of comments I read made me understand that there are Igbos who do not know the wealth and possibilities of their language. I believe with a convincing argument many would be convinced of the utility of Igbo-run schools.

How on earth did I stop following this beautiful thread?
Anyway, @ChinenyeN thanks for the explanation.
Concerning the current discussion, it is important to consider the factors that enabled the English man succeed in making us see their language as superior to ours. In general, the English made us see their language as a language of sophistication, and we must apply the same theory in re-orientating our people, to accept the superiority of Igbo Language over English (at least in our land), and thus, be willing to use it as the language of instruction in our schools.
Here are some ideas that I think should be adopted by whichever private school that chooses to embark on this venture:
-For the proposed Igbo-based Language school, Igbo will be the medium of communication and learning, while English will be taught as a foreign course. The instruction in Igbo, has to start from nursery to primary school level for now before we get to the secondary and university levels.
-The school must be built to international standard and have a foreign appeal.
-The classrooms should be tastefully decorated and have designs similar to what is obtainable in countries like America.
-Laptops may have to be provided free of charge to students and lecturers, which would be made use of during lectures.
-The school fees should be a pittance for the first year or two.
-Teachers to be employed in the school must be excellent at both Igbo and English. Also, a group of Igbo scholars should be employed to translate to Igbo, the subjects in the school curriculum.
-At the end of each semester, a competition should be organized between your Igbo-based language school and the best English-based language school in the state. This will help parents see clearly the difference, between students tutored in their indigenous language, and those tutored in a foreign language. I can bet my life savings that the result of the contest will convince many to go the Igbo route.
Note, this should start off as a sort of research program, whereby parents will be enticed with the some of the incentives listed above, which will lure them to enroll their kids in the school.
This venture is not for the faint-hearted though. It will require absolute dedication, passion, and doggedness on the part of the individual in question.

Another thing that just occurred to me is that our people wrongly believe that being educated has to do with one's ability to speak English. For example, we all have heard our people say things like "sụpụ oyibo, welụ ya sụkasịalụ fa akwa, nwa m jelụ akwụkwọ." Or you may hear some others say, "nwa m bụ lawyer, ị fụrọ ka o si asụ oyibo."
We ignorantly forget that English is the indigenous Language of the English people.
A Chinese lawyer, who was educated in Mandarin, is no less a lawyer, than his English counterpart who was educated in English. Both are literate, both are learned. The only difference lies in the language of instruction used to educate them both.
Until we break free from this colonial mentality whereby we believe another man's indigenous language is superior to ours, we will always play second fiddle to the white man.

nwanlecha, it's a trap between not having Igbo being at a level or being allowed a level where it can be seen as an 'academic' language and having people see the language as not 'advanced' enough to be an academic language.

Ndeewo nu. Sorry for not responding sooner. I never forgot about the thread. I was just busy finalizing some projects.

Anyway, thank you all for the contributions. I am currently compiling the contributions based on themes. In the mean time, I'd like to touch on Scholti's suggestion of an online academy. I find it interesting, and certainly there are some advantages to having an online academy over a brick-and-mortar compound. However, I see that more as a short-term fix. My intention with a private institution is to build toward a self-sustaining system. The solution then has to be long-term. Although, there is no rule that states that both (online academy and physical private institution) cannot be done. In fact, I can easily envision a situation where both are systematically linked.

The lack of significant overhead involved in running an online academy would make the online academy a relatively easy first step. All it takes is good hosting, a well-developed site, and scalable databases. I realize that it is easier said than done, but it would still get off the ground much faster than any attempt to open up a physical private institution. The question now is [again] how to implement it. Scholti imagines the site as a 'go-to' site for anything from cv-writing, traveling to manufacturing and also serve as a reporting/news platform. However, I would prefer to limit the scope of that, for two reasons:

1. I don't believe an online academy need operate in that terrain.
2. There already exists plenty of online news/reporting platforms that report in Igbo. The most notable being IgboRadio.

That's just a personal preference of mine. That aside, the next question would be implementation. Will the online academy be like YouTube or have more structure like Udemy or Ed2Go? There are advantages and disadvantages of both implementations (structured, organized [Udemy/Ed2Go] vs open-community, sharing [YouTube]). As a personal preference of mine, I would prefer the more structured route, such as Udemy and Ed2Go. It would be easier to link a structured online academy to the more long-term private institution as a distance learning program.

Anyway, I think I've gotten what I was looking for (initial thoughts on the most effective and cost-effective implementation). Thank you all who contributed.

ChinenyeN,

ChinenyeN:
Ndeewo nu. Sorry for not responding sooner. I never forgot about the thread. I was just busy finalizing some projects.

Anyway, thank you all for the contributions. I am currently compiling the contributions based on themes. In the mean time, I'd like to touch on Scholti's suggestion of an online academy. I find it interesting, and certainly there are some advantages to having an online academy over a brick-and-mortar compound. However, I see that more as a short-term fix. My intention with a private institution is to build toward a self-sustaining system. The solution then has to be long-term. Although, there is no rule that states that both (online academy and physical private institution) cannot be done. In fact, I can easily envision a situation where both are systematically linked.

The lack of significant overhead involved in running an online academy would make the online academy a relatively easy first step. All it takes is good hosting, a well-developed site, and scalable databases. I realize that it is easier said than done, but it would still get off the ground much faster than any attempt to open up a physical private institution. The question now is [again] how to implement it. Scholti imagines the site as a 'go-to' site for anything from cv-writing, traveling to manufacturing and also serve as a reporting/news platform. However, I would prefer to limit the scope of that, for two reasons:

1. I don't believe an online academy need operate in that terrain.
2. There already exists plenty of online news/reporting platforms that report in Igbo. The most notable being IgboRadio.

That's just a personal preference of mine. That aside, the next question would be implementation. Will the online academy be like YouTube or have more structure like Udemy or Ed2Go? There are advantages and disadvantages of both implementations (structured, organized [Udemy/Ed2Go] vs open-community, sharing [YouTube]). As a personal preference of mine, I would prefer the more structured route, such as Udemy and Ed2Go. It would be easier to link a structured online academy to the more long-term private institution as a distance learning program.

Anyway, I think I've gotten what I was looking for (initial thoughts on the most effective and cost-effective implementation). Thank you all who contributed.

IgboRadio is a poor excuse of a news site. It is hardly updated. Throughout this year, it has barely published anything. The guy who runs it, basically comes in whenever he feels like and posts a story and vanishes. He started out with a good idea, but was perhaps overtaken by other concerns. Journalism is an up-to-the-minute affair. It needs to be fed always. There is not a single functioning Igbo news site or radio platform on the internet, which really says a lot about how the Igbo treat their language. I suggested a news section, a radio platform and other 'less intensive' courses like CV-writing for the sake of traffic (regular site visits to access contents) as this is really important in the beginning - as a clutch, but the main meat would be structured courses. People's interests have to be awakened.

An online academy, remains in my considered view, the best way forward in the short-run. It can be linked to an app. Miraculously, I see it catching on with enough persistence, but it at least needs to have a few people willing to dedicate their time to do some translations and diffusion to get it rolling.

It can and probably should be done but a lot of groundwork needs to be done technically to agree on and introduce terms that do not exist and also to develop a framework for updating and borrowing words into the lexicon that is "standardized". I think one of the failings of Nigerian languages is their lack of precision which makes it difficult to use them in Logic ,mathematics law and even computer programming. This does not mean it cannot be done. It was done with the English language but we then find many if not most words in Modern English have Latin roots. Previously Latin was the Language of learning in England.
In envisioning the future development one must recognize that onne is only laying the foundation for a future where people will be speaking something very different from what is spoken today. We should remind ourselves that Pidgin English did not exist 200 years ago so creating a NEW language is actually quite a simple matter.

I look forward to the day when we express

ideas like a straight line in Nigerian languages

Can anyone define

Straight Line in his/her language

'A straight line' is 'ahiri nziri ezi' in my language.

Though I thoroughly understand your point, aribisala0, and agree, I still believe that people's decision to unilaterally emphasize the languages deficiency is truly unfair to the languages themselves. Our languages already have the foundation for future development, which causes me to believe that a not so insignificant portion of the blame rests with the people themselves.

In my household, as it is, we express so much in our language, from electricity to computers and from basic maths to algebraic equations. I admit that we have not covered everything, but that is simply due to the lack of people in our household with subject matter expertise. But in terms of daily, modern communication, we have come a long way.

ChinenyeN:
'A straight line' is 'ahiri nziri ezi'.

Though I thoroughly understand your point, aribisala0, and agree, I still believe that people's decision to unilaterally emphasize the languages deficiency is truly unfair to the languages themselves. Our languages already have the foundation for future development, which causes me to believe that a not so insignificant portion of the blame rests with the people themselves.

In my household, as it is, we express so much in our language, from electricity to computers and from basic maths to algebraic equations. I admit that we have not covered everything, but that is simply due to the lack of people in our household with subject matter expertise. But in terms of daily, modern communication, we have come a long way.

No language is complete. English is so successful because of its unashamed readiness to borrow and steal.

For any language to be modern and useful it must develop the utility for precision and logic. That is a function of how people think. I cannot cite it now but there is research showing link between language and patterns of thought. In order to be useful as an educational tool there needs to be a formal upgrading and procedure for the creation or adoption of terms in such a way that does not compromise authenticity.

I do not understand Igbo to that level so cannot argue but when I said straight line I was actually referring to "definition" in a mathematical sense rather than a descriptive if that makes sense. It is such concepts that enable discussion about gradients and so on.
My overall point is even if a language does not have terms they can be borrowed but Formalized we do or have done so already with many words but this is not formal and perhaps there needs to be some OFFICIAL custodians/arbiters of that process such as a DICTIONARY AND LANGUAGE BOARD

Ah, I see what you're saying now. In that case, I'll elect to not hold my breath. Language standardization boards have had a poor reputation to the point of being unreliable (at least in the context of Igbo language studies). This is also the point where I guess we differ in opinion. I believe an official board is unnecessary. In my opinion, all that is truly required is domain knowledge. Humans, with or without official boards, can and do coin and use new terms and expressions. So, as I see it, choosing to wait now for the the establishment of a board and the development of new terms would be a waste.

If we're on the same page, then I think I know what you may be saying in terms of a straight line. You're likely talking about something being 'linear'. In which case, we (in my language) would still use the '-zi ezi' verb construction.

ChinenyeN:
Ah, I see what you're saying now. In that case, I'll elect to not hold my breath. Language standardization boards have had a poor reputation to the point of being unreliable (at least in the context of Igbo language studies). This is also the point where I guess we differ in opinion. I believe an official board is unnecessary. In my opinion, all that is truly required is domain knowledge. Humans, with or without official boards, can and do coin and use new terms and expressions. So, as I see it, choosing to wait now for the the establishment of a board and the development of new terms would be a waste.

If we're on the same page, then I think I know what you may be saying in terms of a straight line. You're likely talking about something being 'linear'. In which case, we (in my language) would still use the '-zi ezi' verb construction.

Without a board how will you have a dictionary not to talk of a Legal dictionary ,medical dictionary and so on. If a language has ambitions to be used as a language of instruction then there must be a dictionary and that means standardization and all the messiness that that entails. I the North of England e.g to this day people hardly use the word "yes" you are more likely to hear "Aye" . So that has not been stifled ,regionalism thrives but for academic ,scientific and indeed legal use I daresay it is indispensable for any modern language.How else does one write agreements or contracts

In geometry
A straight line is the path of shortest distance between two points

You seem to be misunderstanding my words. I am not against the development of boards or standardization. My only point is that I do not believe it is imperative that a people wait for such a time as when those committees are established and working before even taking the steps toward modernization of their speech. But I see the discrepancy in our discussion. The scope of my point extends beyond Igbo as a language of instruction and focuses on the treatment of the language itself, even though instruction is what the topic is about. In that case, my apologies.

In terms of education and instruction, boards and all that goes with standardization are indeed necessary.

ChinenyeN:
You seem to be misunderstanding my words. I am not against the development of boards or standardization. My only point is that I do not believe it is imperative that a people wait for such a time as when those committees are established and working before even taking the steps toward modernization of their speech. But I see the discrepancy in our discussion. The scope of my point extends beyond Igbo as a language of instruction and focuses on the treatment of the language itself, even though instruction is what the topic is about. In that case, my apologies.

In terms of education and instruction, boards and all that goes with standardization are indeed necessary.

Colloquial use of language necessarily must evolve with the times and is largely a spontaneous unregulated process This is always taking place and indeed is inevitable but sometimes accompanied by the killing off or extinction of "weaker" dialects. I am not suggesting that this natural process is in any way interfered with .Indeed it cannot be.

Standardization on the other hand is an elitist top down endeavour with the aim of disseminating "knowledge" of all kinds still such boards would need to be mindful of the natural forces at work in spontaneous modernization

Agreed.