An educationalist and Chartered Scientist, Chief Smart Nwokorie (PhD) has called on Nigeria government to introduce what he called indigenous education in the school curriculum to boost the country’s multi cultural heritage and allow both pupils and students to go back to their root.
Nwokorie, who is also a proprietor of Standard International Secondary School, Umuahia, stated this in a chat with The Statesman newspapers, regretted that as a nation, Nigeria is gradually losing out in its indigenous ways of life, adding that Nigerians are fast embracing foreign culture.
He disclosed that the introduction of indigenous education will teach “our children the history of our culture like dressing code, language, respect, cultural ceremonies such as burials and naming ceremonies”.
The educationist lamented that such values are being eroded on daily “because we are losing touch with our core values”
Nwokorie argued that western culture breeds individualism, while Igbo culture encourages communal life and renders help to one another, saying that “because we’ve been exposed to western culture too much, our communal life is gradually disappearing, while individualism is setting in and the indigenous ways of life is fast disappearing.
He regretted that many Igbo youths cannot speak Igbo language fluently without mixing it up with English language, even as he used the occasion to call on the ministry of Education to ensure that students are taught more in their indigenous language than English language.
The educationist called on the southeast educational institutions and lawmakers to enact a law that would make communication in Igbo compulsory and disclosed that with indigenous education, it will be easy to hand over cultural heritage and intellectual property to the next generation.
His word, “I don’t believe that that the standard of education is falling, rather what has gone down is the interest in education because most students now cut corners to obtain good result”
He stated that as an educationalist and lover of Igbo culture, he was given the title of Eziokwubundu (truth is life) by his people, opining that he has allowed the name to guide him in all that he does.
Uche Nwosu is a two time Shell Petroleum PLC award winner in the year 2000;
He won the Shell Award on Investigative Journalism and Environmental Cleanliness.
