In education, Nigeria has a mother tongue policy which requires that every child is taugh

t in a mother tongue at the preprimary【M1】______ and during the first three years of primary school. The policy states that where the mother tongue cannot be made used, the language of【M2】______ the immediate environment, i.e. the dominant language of the community in which the child already speaks is recommended.【M3】______ In some regions in Nigeria, "pidgin" has required a mother【M4】______ tongue status, as a result of which many youths are unable to communicate in the local languages any more. Language experts or educationists in time past had advocated for the usage of Nigerian "pidgin" in teaching. This was thinking of the National【M5】______ Commission for Mass Literacy Adult and Non Formal Education in 1992 which was introduced to produce literacy materials in Nigeria "pidgin". Unfortunately the project has since been suspended on.【M6】______ It is not uncommon to find parents teaching or communicating in English with their children without recourse to the necessity of first bequeathing their native languages to them. This imported city practice(s)has spread colossal to different parts of Nigeria. But【M7】______ the parent must ensure that the child as a matter of priority UNDERSTANDS the mother tongue and SPEAKS it, after they(may)【M8】______ decide to change the code and educate him or her on the other. Civilization does not presuppose the abandonment of culture or his【M9】______ language, rather it requires an integrative approach in which such local languages are developed via to the instrumentalities of communication【M10】______ in our day-to-day existence.

【M1】