By Chikaodi Chukwuleta

In a bid to promote the use of mother tongue in modern technology, Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka, in collaboration with  Odinala Cultural Heritage Foundation (OCHE), an Igbo social-cultural organization, Friday, inaugurated a committee to develop curriculum for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) with Igbo Language as language of instruction and evaluation across schools in South East Nigeria.

The occasion attracted a lot of dignitaries including the National President of Ohaneze Ndigbo Worldwide ,Chief Emmanuel Iwanyawu, who was represented at the event by Prof Fred Eze.

Speaking during the inauguration held at  ASUU-UNIZIK Secretariat, the Vice Chancellor of UNIZIK, Prof Charles Esimone, commended the foundation for initiating the ideas, charging the committee members to tackle the assignment diligently.

 Executive Director of OCHIE Igbo STEM School, Okoro Chinedum Benedict, in his speech, said the target of the project was to raise a generation of Igbo children who can innovate, conceive, invent and interpret phenomena in the Igbo language.

According to him, it will also take off on a virtual note targeting to enroll Igbo kids from all parts of the world.

“This way, the educational barriers and challenges associated with learning of  sciences in our primary and secondary schools would be a thing of the past”.

 “Over the years, educationists, researchers, and curriculum development experts have argued that children perform better when taught in their mother tongue, hence the project,”he said.

In his keynote address, former Vice Chancellor, University of Nigeria Nsukka(UNN), Prof Chinedu Nebo, called on all universities in South East to make Igbo Language compulsory for students.

Nebo, who spoke on the topic, ‘The Potentials of Mainstreaming Igbo as the Language of Instruction and Evaluation for STEM in Igboland, urged South East governors to make Igbo Language a test-run for those seeking government work in the region.