Glisten International Academy, Abuja, has called on stakeholders, governments and parents to embrace African cultures for unity of the country.
The Chief Education Management Professional of the school, Mr Eneh Charles, said this in Abuja on Wednesday at the school’s cultural day event with the theme: “Phenomenal Scalability for sustainability”.
Charles said the school plans cultural events every year to remember the children’s roots and promote the importance of their cultures.
He said the cultural day event would help further unify the children in the midst of several other cultures.
He called on parents to teach their children what they need to know about their cultures, especially as they relate to their languages.
” Once every year, we gather here to remember our roots, to remember where we are coming from, to remember the importance of culture in our life.
‘ This is because that is what our great grand fathers gave to our grand fathers and our grand fathers gave to our fathers and our fathers have given to us. We are also giving to our children and pass on from one generation to another generation.
” We need to teach the children what they are supposed to know about where they come from. They shouldn’t allow the other foreign cultures to dominate our own.
“They have their own and we have our own and when they are blended, these will be better. That brings essentially the unity that we require. Nigeria is a united country, but we say is unity in diversity.
” We must diversify and still one Nigeria. We need to teach the children about not just class work, but about where they come from so that at anytime they will stand tall to say I am a proud Nigerian,” he said.
Charles said the country has more than 250 languages but expressed concern that many families had failed in the area of teaching their children their indigenous languages.
Also, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the school, Hajia Samira Jibir, commended the parents for their collaboration in strengthening the desired change the country needs for progress.
“To our dear parents, we thank you always, without you we can’t be here, your support, your encouragement, your collaboration, your constructive criticism always take us higher and will continue to count on it.
” We pray that this children will surprise all of us, will be the goodness of our eyes and will be the desire of the change that we need in this country,” she said.
Also Speaking, the Executive Director of the school, Mr Abba Saidu, said the country must see that hunger is completely eradicated.
Saidu said government should ensure that it makes a policy for national cultural day, saying this would make Nigerians imbibe their culture as well as respect other cultures.
” This is a day we share our cultural heritage, our culture which is really paramount to what we do at Glisten International Academy.
” We try to see that culture is very important from our faith, religion and attitude.
Saidu said Nigerians could embrace their cultures from the way they dress, the foods they eat and the way they greet.
Mrs Prisca Godwill, the School Chief Care Professional, said that a unique way to respect other people’s culture and diversity is first by knowing one’s culture and to appreciate the diversity of others.
“The whole essence of keeping our culture alive is what we are actually doing today, ensuring that the young ones that are coming up remember their roots and where they are coming from.
” What we do is that sometimes we might also go into another culture and actually dress in an attire that is actually not where they come from. There is diversity which Nigeria is known for because in unity we stand.
” So what we do is to ensure that every child learns about other peoples culture and tolerance and we can cooperate and work with them.
” As parents, we are also encouraged in the use of our local language to our child in ensuring that these children will understand and possibly speak their dialect in other to keep it alive and pass it unto the next generation,” she said.
She, however, called on the government to ensure the teaching of culture into the school curriculum to keep the various cultures alive.
Amina Saidu, a student of the school expressed joy over the event, saying it has further improved her understanding of culture in terms of language, food and cultural dressing. (NAN)
