INDIGENOUS LANGUAGES: THROUGH EDUCATION FOR NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

Thoughts and beliefs are the principal ingredients of human culture that indentify the people, arise from their daily communal and individual practices through language, which is the vehicle that carries human communication and expression, hence the call for promotion of indigenous languages through education. Education is the lubricant of human capital development, which is at the centre of every other forms of development, and it takes developed individuals to develop a nation. The socio-political, economic, religious and education patterns are influenced by the instrument of language, to communicate meaning, understanding and truth. This paper emphasized the need to promote the indigenous languages in Nigerian education system as an alternative to foreign languages for impacting quality education towards achieving national development. The translation of the students’ performance in their studies through indigenous languages into every day activities could be seen as development, which would manifest in various forms in the society and the nation at larger. Charity is said begins at home, the best way to expose our children to the realities of their society and the world at large is through the mother tongue. The data for this study is sourced from the writer’s personal experience as well as library. Psychological theory is adopted for analyzing the roles indigenous languages will play towards attainment of national development through education. The study would be of great value to the public, amongst them are; students, teachers, researchers and any person interested in the study of indigenous language and its roles in the national development.