Teachers who flog students for speaking vernacular should be ashamed of themselves -Yul Edochie

Yul Edochie, Nollywood actor, says teachers who engage in flogging students for speaking vernacular should be ashamed of themselves.

Nigeria is home to diverse ethnic groups with each maintaining a distinct language of communication.

The country, however, recognises Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo as its three major languages while English remains the nation’s official language.

In schools across the country, students caught speaking vernacular are often subjected to punishments of various kinds.

While reflecting on the practice in a post on his social media page, the actor cum politician said it was unfortunate that the country operates a system that promotes a foreign language over its own.

“To think that some of our teachers flogged us back then in school for speaking our language. Calling it vernacular,” he wrote in a post on Twitter.

“Can you imagine? You speak your own language you get flogged. All those teachers should be ashamed of themselves. The Oyibo people (colonial masters) really messed up our brains.”

To think 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.

— Yul Edochie (@YulEdochie) May 25, 2020