Yobe State Government has made clarification on the adoption of Hausa language as medium of instruction in primary schools, saying the programme is only to teach primary 1-3 pupils under the new scheme.
The report of the adoption of Hausa language as medium of instruction in public schools has sparked heated reactions and controversies.
Yobe State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) said that the intensive literacy programme of the World Bank-supported Better Education Service Delivery For All (BESDA) is only for primary one to three pupils in ten local government areas participating in the project. The LGAs are Fune, Nangere, Tarmuwa, Bulsari, Machina, Jakusko, Yusufari and Geidam,Yunusari and Karasuwa.
SUBEB Director Social Mobilization in Yobe who doubles as BESDA Focal person in the state, Alhaji Sama’ila Machina explained that under the BESDA programme, northern states participating in the programme are to teach primary 1-3 in Hausa.
He said, “On the other hand, states in South East are to teach their primary 1-3 in Igbo language, while states in the South West are to teach their pupils in Yoruba.This is the reason why Yobe state BESDA adopted the Northern Education Initiative Plus NEI+’s “Mu Karanta Let’s Read Model” as there are already developed materials for the implementation of the programme.”
