The Emir of Kano Muhammadu Sanusi II has called for review of Nigerian education policies to accommodate Arabic and other indigenous languages as languages for teaching in schools and tertiary institutions, saying strict adherence to English as the only language of instruction is a disservice to the country’s yearnings for even and rapid development.
Sanusi spoke against the backdrop of the restrictions Nigerian education system has placed on the products of Quranic/Arabic education in terms of employment and admissions into conventional institutions of western education.
He made the call in Kano at the public presentation of a book and a Hausa documentary film both packaged by a Belgium national, Hannah Hochner about the experiences of Almajirai in their quest for Quranic education across the northern Nigerian states.
He described as unfair the dismissive recognition being accorded Quranic and Arabic education despite the fact that it pre-dated western civilisation in the country.
He said some countries have achieved development partly because they adopt their native languages for instruction in schools but Nigeria has refused to diversify in adopting her indigenous languages for teaching, thereby using English as the yard-stick for measuring education in the country.
“In Nigeria today you remain an illiterate unless you are able to speak English. That’s why today you see that no matter how knowledgeable you are in Quranic or Arabic education you remain worthless as far as Nigerian education system is concerned” Sanusi lamented.
He described current education system as a way of sustaining imperial tendencies of the west 58years after the country’s independence.
“I am skeptical if after 58 years we are truly independent. Before the white came we had our own standard system of education. We read and write in Arabic but they made us to believe that our system was inferior and their own is the best. They forced us to neglect our culture and imposed on us their culture and educational system with English as the only language of instruction thereby making our old system of education worthless; because of that we do not have enough medical doctors, because of that we do not have enough lawyers and engineers that is why we are economically backward because there are no opportunities for any one educated outside western system” the emir added.
The emir revealed an effort has already started at BUK in collaboration with the School of African Studies London to translate literatures across various disciplines including medicine, midwifery, agriculture and engineering into Hausa language with a view to promoting the language as well as engendering development in the respective fields.
