By Gbegbe Sunday
The Nigerian Educational Research Development Council (NERDC) in Collaboration with the Centre for Gbagyi Language Development (CGLD) has concluded plans to ensure the harmonized version of standard Gbagyi Language Orthography is taught from Primary to Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria.
The Executive Secretary, Nigerian Educational Research Development Council, Professor Ismail Junaidu, stated this while responding to questions at the Gbagyi Language Orthography, writing, critique 6-days editing workshop in Abuja.
Professor Junaidu assured the Centre for Gbagyi Language Development centre about the Agency’s willingness to provide professional and intellectual expertise and guidelines towards achieving its set goal.
The Executive Secretary said that Gbagyi Language is very significant as any other Nigerian Language as entrenched in the National Policy on Education, as the Council is trying to get Nigerian Languages recognised for social and political development in the Country.
Prof Ismail Junaidu implored the resource persons and stakeholders at the workshop to bring their expertise adequately work on the harmonised and updating of the Gbagyi Language Orthography.
On his remark, the Chairman, Centre for Gbagyi Language Development (CGLD), Arc Andrew Gaza, said the project will go beyond Orthography as efforts would be made to include Development of the curriculum which would serve people from elementary level to tertiary level of education in the country.
He revealed that the workshop which includes intellectuals and stakeholders from the education sector will develop relevant education materials that will preserve Gbagyi Language from extinction.
Arc Andrew Gaza said the workshop dealt with the writing, the critique, and Editorial coming up with a harmonised Orthography of Gbagyi Language, which will lead to preparing a curriculum to work with Federal Ministry of Education, Local Education Authority, Basic Education and secondary education to commence teaching Gbagyi Language from Primary, secondary schools to tertiary Institutions.
He said there is need for continuous and adequate funding of the project as well as the search for experts in Gbagyi Language, emphasised as the bedrock for successful and uninterrupted project.
Stakeholders at the workshop seek for unity among Gbagyi’s in Nigeria to put aside political, dialectical, religious, regional differences to achieve a common goal.