The Manager of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria at
the Margaret Ekpo International Airport in Calabar, Mr. Sunday Ayodele, on
Thursday said that pupils of FAAN Nursery and Primary School would be
encouraged to learn indigenous languages in order to sustain their various cultures.
Ayodele said that the
management of the school would be encouraged to employ teachers well versed in
local languages.
He said this during the 2016/2017 Cultural Fiesta organised
for pupils of the school in Calabar, Cross River State.
The event witnessed cultural displays in Efik, Ibibio,
Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa languages by pupils of the school.
While some of the learners were made to recite folk tales
and dance to songs in local lyrics, others recalled their historical origins in
poems.
According to Ayodele, indigenous languages should not be
allowed to go into extinction.
He said, “Culture is our way of life and it embodies all
that we stand for as a people. We will be seen not to be teaching the pupils
anything if we abandon our languages and embrace foreign culture. We need to
encourage the growth of our culture even while embracing modern technologies.
“One of the things we will do is to get indigenous teachers
back to the classroom because I believe that deeper meanings are got when local
languages are spoken. Our languages are superior, so we have to go back to the
basics.”
Headmistress of the school, Mrs. Mercy Emenike, said parents
had critical roles to play in passing on indigenous cultural values to their
children.
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