This column from the Lagos paper, Daily Champion, was seen on AllAfrica.com at http://allafrica.com/stories/200701310265.html
Nigeria: Thoughts On Babs Fafunwa (3) Daily Champion (Lagos) http://www.champion-newspapers.com/ OPINION January 31, 2007 Posted to the web January 31, 2007 Isaac N. Obasi Lagos One of the greatest achievements of Prof. Fafunwa in the Nigerian educational system is in the area of curriculum reforms especially at the primary and secondary school levels. His sustained efforts and struggles culminated in the adoption of the mother tongue education policy by the National Policy on Education (1977). This policy requires that each secondary school student should learn at least one major Nigerian language other than his or her own. Prof. Fafunwa's famous University of Ife Six-Year Primary Project became a successful reference point in his promotion of mother tongue education. His Ife research on mother tongue education confirmed his long held conviction that 'a child will perform significantly better if he or she is instructed in the mother tongue than when the instruction is in a foreign language'. The results of the study revealed that 'children in the experimental classes performed significantly better than those in the control in all school subjects including even English' (Cf: Ipaye, 1996; Fasokun, 2000, see full citations in the first installment). The success of the Ife mother tongue project led to the production of teaching materials in Yoruba language in the primary schools. And following its success too, other linguistic areas translated the Ife materials on science and mathematics into their own mother tongues (Cf: Fasokun, 2000). This was the background that spurred Prof. Fafunwa to work harder towards the promotion of the teaching of, and research on, Nigerian languages, when he became minister of education. One of the measures he took was the establishment of the National Institute for Languages in Aba in 1992. By these achievements, Fafunwa's name will always be written in gold in any history on the promotion of mother tongue education in Nigeria. It would also be recalled that in addition to these, he established the Nigerian French Language Village, in Badagry in 1991, and the National Arabic Language Village in 1992 in Gamboru, Borno State when he minister of education. With these historical records behind him, one can understand why Prof. Fafunwa was very hard on Dr. Oby Ezekwezili over her planned merging of these educational parastatals. For one thing, these institutions are still very close to his heart. As Ipaye rightly observed, developing countries are known mainly as consumers of knowledge rather than as producers. However, the acceptance of some of Fafunwa's ideas internationally proved to be an exception. One of his great ideas that won international recognition is the Each-one-Teach-one approach in the promotion of the Education for All (EFA) global programme and campaign. The second is the Mother Tongue mode of educational instruction, which has received some international acceptance through the efforts of UNESCO. At the national level also, the recommendations of the Fafunwa Study Group on Funding of Education at all Levels in 1984 brought two notable institutions into existence. The first was the establishment of the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) in 1986 while the second was the establishment of Federal Ministry of Science and Technology. Fafunwa would also be remembered in many other areas of our educational life. Some of these are the setting up of the Longe Commission on the Review of Higher Education in 1990; the adoption of the Federal Government/ASUU Agreement in 1992; and the decentralization of external examination bodies through the setting up of the (a) National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB) (that handles such examinations as Royal Society of Arts (RSA), City & Guilds etc), and (b) the National Board for Educational Measurement (NBEM) for the conduct of junior secondary examinations and National Common Entrance Examination, all of which were previously, handled by the 'almighty' West African Examinations Council (WAEC). He also established the Education Bank, Abuja, in place of the Students Loans Board, and the National Institute for Educational Planning and Administration, Ondo. Finally along with Prof. C. Taiwo and Prof. B. O. Ukeje, Fafunwa initiated the formation of the Nigerian Academy of Education - one of the five prestigious national scientific academies in Nigeria. Fafunwa was prolific in the production of highly rated and widely used books. In 1971, coincidentally he and Dr. Nduka Okafor published separately two major works on Nigerian higher education, an area dominated by expatriates like K. Mellanby ('The Birth of Nigeria's University', Methuen, 1958); and J. T. Saunders ('University College, Ibadan', C.U.P, 1960). While Fafunwa wrote on 'A History of Nigerian Higher Education', Macmillan, Nduka Okafor wrote on 'The Development of Universities in Nigeria', Longman (see: Pai Obanya: Canadian Journal of African Studies, 1974, pp.159-195, via http://www.jstor.org/view/00083968/ap020020/02a00110/0). The two books were major contributions in the field of Nigerian higher education. Fafunwa's other books include (i) 'History of Education in Nigeria', 1970, with subsequent editions; (ii) 'New Perspectives in African Education', 1967; (iii) 'Education in Mother Tongue: The Ife Primary Education Research Project, 1970-1978' (edited along with J. I. Macauley and J. A. Sokoya), 1989; (iv) 'Up and On: A Nigerian Teacher's Odyssey, 1991; (v) 'Memoirs of a Nigerian Minister of Education', 1998; and (vi) 'Sense and non-sense in Nigerian Education, 1998. With all these, Fafunwa gained recognition at both the national and international levels. I can only name a few of them (but for many others, see Fasokun, 2000). In 1973, he received a Medal for Distinguished Service in Education, Teachers' College, Columbia University, New York City. In 1976, he got the Franklin Book Award for Outstanding Contribution to Educational Development, New York City. In 1983, he was appointed a Distinguished Fellow, International Council on Education for Teaching, Washington D.C. And then in 1986, this 'prophet' was rightly honoured in his own country, with Hon. LL.D by the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, where he started his academic career. Then in the following year his second university, the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife honoured him with Hon. D. Litt. Again in 1989, he was conferred with the prestigious Nigerian National Merit Award, and in the same year appointed the Honourable Minister of Education. His two other national awards include Fellow, Science Teachers Association of Nigeria in 1990; and Fellow, Nigerian Academy of Education in 1990. More can be said about Prof. Fafunwa but what is said so far gives us an idea of why I referred to him in the first installment as Mr. Nigerian Teacher No. 1. Here was a man who spent only 15 years (1961-1976) as an active university teacher, but yet made tremendous contributions in all the levels of the Nigerian education system. His successful academic and professional career will surely remain for a long time to come, an inspiration to many budding scholars. This column therefore wishes Prof. Babs Fafunwa healthy and happy years in his peaceful retired (but not tired) life. ... Dr. Obasi teaches Public Administration at the University of Botswana, Gaborone, Southern Africa. Copyright © 2007 Daily Champion. Champion House, Isolo Industrial Estate, 156/158 Oshodi/Apapa Expressway, Ilasamaja, Lagos, Nigeria 234-1-4525807/4525983 [EMAIL PROTECTED] **************************** Disclaimer ****************************** Copyright: In accordance with Title 17, United States Code Section 107, this material is distributed without profit for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material posted to this list for purposes that go beyond "fair use," you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. 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