AN EVALUATION OF IGBO SECOND LANGUAGE CURRICULUM IMPLEMENTATION IN TEN (10) SELECTED JUNIOR PRIVATE SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN OJO LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF LAGOS STATE

Abstract

Nigerian Second Languages curriculum is being used in teaching Nigerian Second Language learners (Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba Second Language Learners). The secondary school is faced with bottlenecks despite the efforts of some Nigerian languages scholars. This paper is aimed at evaluating the Igbo second languages curriculum implementation in private junior secondary schools in Ojo local government area of Lagos State. To know the extent the Igbo teachers have gone in achieving the objectives of the NL2 Igbo curriculum, their styles of teaching as well the challenges they encounter. The study includes all the Igbo language teachers in junior private secondary schools in Ojo Local Government Area of Lagos State. The sample consists of 10 teachers purposively selected from the 10 schools used for the study. One teacher each was selected from each school. Three research instruments were used for the study which include; Teachers’ perception of the implementation of Igbo Second Language Curriculum Questionnaire (TPIIL2CQ). Availability of Resource Materials Questionnaire (ARMQ) and Constraints to Effective Implementation of Igbo Second Language Curriculum Questionnaire (CEIIL2CQ). The Data generated from the instruments were analysed using descriptive and interview statistics. Major findings of the study include: that the Igbo language teachers in private secondary schools in Ojo adhere to the Igbo second language performance objectives, some Igbo teachers in Lagos State Junior secondary schools are not qualified to teach Igbo language, there are grossly inadequate instructional materials in teaching Igbo language. The Igbo language teachers use the same methods in teaching the two levels of Igbo language learners (IgboL1 &IgboL2) in the private junior secondary schools in Ojo, that the major constraints of teaching Igbo L2 in private junior secondary schools in Ojo Local government Area reside on; Igbo language teachers’ qualifications, unavailability of instructional materials and insufficient number of Igbo language teachers. The study recommends that the state and federal governments should release fund for the teaching of Nigerian languages in the junior secondary schools to enable the teachers get sufficient and adequate instructional materials. Qualified Igbo language teachers should be recruited to teach in the private schools. There should be separate teaching methods for Igbo first language and Igbo second language learners in Nigerian schools generally, be it public or private.