PRESERVING THE INDIGENOUS LANGUAGES THROUGH GIRL-CHILD EDUCATION IN NIGERIA

Abstract

As globalisation, urbanisation, and the dominance of international languages threaten many minority languages, keeping indigenous languages alive has become a major global problem. Nigeria is one of the most linguistically diverse countries in the world, with more than 500 native languages. Even though there are many different languages in Nigeria, many of them are still not well-documented, not taught in schools, and are slowly fading from everyday use, especially among younger people. This study investigates the function of girl-child education as a strategic instrument for the preservation and maintenance of indigenous languages in Nigeria. The research is founded on the tenets of mother-tongue-based education, which underscores the significance of utilising learners’ native languages in early education to foster cognitive development, cultural identification, and linguistic continuity. Utilising a qualitative descriptive research design, the study is based on literature review and analysis of academic publications, policy papers, and institutional reports pertaining to language preservation, girl-child education, and linguistic variety. The study shows that women, especially mothers and female carers, are very important for early language socialisation in the household. As a result, teaching girls enhances the ability to pass on traditional knowledge systems, cultural values, and indigenous languages to future generations. The study also shows that educating girls can help more people utilise indigenous languages by helping them learn to read and write, speak up for their culture, and take part in digital language projects. The report suggests that empowering girls via education is a long-term way to protect Nigeria's linguistic diversity and improve the passing down of languages from one generation to the next.