URHOBO SCHEME OF WORK

Following the publication of the 9 – Year Basic Education Curriculum for teaching Urhobo Language in Primaries 1-3, 4-6 and JSS 1-3 by the Urhobo Studies Association (USA), Delta State University, Abraka in collaboration with the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC), Abuja, approved by the Federal Ministry of Education in 2015 and by the Delta State Government in 2018, a yearning for the development of a Scheme of Work to facilitate the use of the curriculum for the teaching and learning the language in schools was created. Reports from the field and interactions with teachers confirmed that many teachers had difficulty using the curriculum and required a breakdown of the concepts into weekly modules to facilitate its use. A workshop tagged “Delta State Workshop on Curriculum Revision and Development of Schemes of Work for Primary and Secondary Schools in Delta State” organised by the State Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education and held in Asaba from 25th November to 3rd December 2020 which was attended by this writer gave further impetus to this need. In response to this yearning, the USA assumed responsibility to produce a scheme of work to support the curriculum already designed for teaching/learning Urhobo in schools. However, developing a scheme of work requires not only competent manpower that understands the need for strict compliance with laid down guidelines and procedures to achieve best practices but also adequate funds. The USA, although willing to pursue this goal to its logical conclusion, lacked the financial resources to actualise it and therefore sought financial assistance from other stakeholders. This cry was eventually answered by the Urhobo Historical Society (UHS) and the USA had to work assiduously to ensure that a standard Scheme of Work was produced as contained in this volume.  I, on behalf of members of the Urhobo Studies Association, wish to sincerely appreciate the efforts of the UHS and all who have contributed in one way or the other towards the publication of this Scheme of Work for Urhobo Language. It is my hope that this Scheme of Work would facilitate the teaching and learning of Urhobo Language in order for it to effectively meet the provisions of the approved National Language Policy (NLP) which provides for every Nigerian child to learn in his/her mother tongue at the Basic Education level. It is a universal fact that the effective use of a language in education not only preserves the language from going into extinction but enhances the identity of its owners, improves learning competence and performance and allows learners effectively utilize their native knowledge provided by the environment. I believe that a copious use of this Scheme of Work together with the Urhobo Curriculum would yield excellence in content delivery and enhance learners’ performance. It is hoped that the efforts of the Urhobo Studies Association (USA) towards the development of the Urhobo Language would inspire owners of other ethnic groups to help their languages survive the imminent danger of extinction which has been predicted to face a majority of the languages of the world.