Nollywood actor, Yul Edochie, has condemned flogging of pupils for speaking their local languages in schools.
Edochie, who expressed his displeasure over the professional misconduct, stated that it was an uncivilised practice of those days when some teachers flogged students for speaking their own language at school.
While calling for the abolition of such practice in schools across the country, he wrote on his twitter page on Tuesday May 26, 2020, that, “Some of our teachers flogged us back then in school for speaking our language.
“Calling it vernacular. Can you imagine? You speak your own language you get flogged.
“All those teachers should be ashamed of themselves. Oyibo people really messed up our brains.”
He added that teaching a child English, French, German and other languages was good since no knowledge is a waste.
He further noted that flogging a child for speaking his or her own language is totally unacceptable. He urged teachers to teach the pupils to appreciate their own language.
“Teach a child English, French, German, etc, that’s very good. No knowledge is ever a waste.
“But flogging a child for speaking his or her own language is totally unacceptable. Teach them to appreciate their own.
“Don’t treat them like wild animals for speaking their language,” he added.
He stressed that classifying Nigerian languages as vernacular is an act of terrorism by the colonial masters. He said that they should be held accountable for the damage caused to our traditions.
“I remember while in secondary school in the early 80s, we were not only flogged for speaking our mother’s tongue (Yoruba) within the school compound but we were equally made to pay some fines each time we were caught.
“What those fines were used for, I do not know: I guess it was transferred to England. However, I made no apology to say that the Yorubas bought seriously into that nonsense; thus many south western students no longer speak proper Yoruba and even fail woefully in WAEC and NECO.
“So, I think we have to reverse the ugly trend and I challenge our Scholars,” he concluded.
