Abia Royal Father advocates for summit to promote Igbo Language through thechnology

EMELAM UDO, UMUAHIA.

Eze Cyril Ogbenna, a- two time member of the Abia State Council of Traditional Rulers, has appealed to the South-East leaders to organize a summit with the sole aim of discussing the potential role of technology to advance multilingual education to support the development of quality teaching and learning for all.

Eze Ogbenna who spoke to select Journalists in his Uzi-Amizi Autonomous community, Olokoro clan in Umuahia South L.G.A, of Abia State as the world observes the year 2022 International Mother Language Day with the theme, “ Using technology for multilingual learning: Challenges and opportunities” called for the promotion Igbo and the invention of modern equipment that would easily translate the language , which he noted should serve as a major means of communication.

He reasoned that overdependence on foreign languages had contributed to the poor usage of Igbo language among not only the younger ones but the elderly, even as he advised the government to encourage the use of vernacular in both the government, private and mission schools as means teaching

He said the Chinese has proudly sustained their language as a major means of communication even as a technically and technologically advanced nation and called on the African nations to cherish their mother tongues and improve on them, to serve as internationally recognized languages.

Eze Ogbenna who was also a former Public Relations Officer, Abia Central District, Traditional Rulers Council advised that language translators should go a long way to solving the perceived language barrier.

International Mother Language Day or Matribhasha Diwas is observed every year on February 21 to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism around the world.

The idea to celebrate International Mother Language Day first started from Bangladesh.