Lawmaker urges school proprietors to encourage schools to uphold cultural day celebration
The lawmaker representing Lagos Island Constituency 11 in the House of Representatives,Honourable Moshood Akiolu,has urged school Proprietors to uphold cultural day celebrations in schools to catch children young.
Akiolu gave the advice during Cultural Day Celebration,organiséd by St Mary Primary School in Lagos Island, Lagos.
According to the lawmaker, cultural day celebration is a good step in the right direction to preserve Nigeria cultural values.
The lawmaker urged both public and private schools to prioritise cultural event activities adding that most children don’t speak their local languages.
“Celebrating cultural day in schools make the children to know identities that they belong to somewhere.
“So i believe that event like this should be organised constantly in schools for not only the wards but also for parents to know the essence of culture.
“This entails human behaviour, respect for people, the way they dress and the way they value people in the society.
“Cultural events in schools is a right way in a right direction,” the lawmaker said.
According to him,Nigeria has been brain watched with Western culture which was not our ways and this has lead to drastic reduction in our moral values even some people no longer embrace their local languages.
He commended the Lagos State House Assembly for taking a bold step in preserving their indigenous language by ensuring that Yoruba language is adopted as acceptable language used for legislative proceedings.
“An event like cultural day is used to resurrect and bring back what we have lost.
“That is why I supported and commended body of lawmakers in Lagos Assembly doing their legislative matter in local language,” he said.
Also speaking, Rev sister Felicia Gyang, headmistress of St Mary pry school said the essence of the event was to integrate teach and integrate norms and moral values embedded in our different culture into to the pupils.
Gyang advised parents to go back to their roots and teach their wards with those cultural values they shelves away due to modernisation or secularisation to avoid some cultures not going into extinction.
“Our culture is our heritage, it identifies us wherever we go as Africans, parents should allow the children to learn from them to pass from generation to generation.
“Most of the things we do now is copied and it will not help us at all, I suggest more topics on culture should be added to social studies and Civic education for more understanding,” she said.
Mrs Kehinde Olatoyin, one of the parent commended the school management for the event adding that the school is a unique that encourages and educate wards and parents on importance of embracing their culture.
Adedayo Sanusi, a primary six pupil said commended the school management for organising the cultural event adding that it make her understand some moral embedded in culture as girl.
