‘We need policies that mandate mother tongue instruction’
Hausa language expert from the Department of Linguistics and Foreign Languages, Bayero University, Kano, Prof. Tyjani Shehu Almajir Osita Gerald, participated in the Room to Read and Accessible Publishers adaptation and versioning exercise. he spoke with OLUFEMI TIMOTHY OGUNYEJO about the positive outcomes of the project and lessons to educational planners
How you you assess the collaboration between Room to Read and Accessible Publishers? What perspective on new knowledge did you gain?
THE collaboration between Room to Read and Accessible Publishers is not just a partnership; it is a pedagogical model and a sociolinguistic case study in action. From the standpoint of applied linguistics and literacy development, this initiative embodies a synergy that bridges international literacy frameworks with indigenous cultural epistemologies.
What fascinated me most was the methodological precision with which both organizations approached language adaptation. It wasn’t mere translation; it was an act of cultural negotiation, where stories were reimagined through Hausa lenses — linguistically, culturally, visually. This project exposed me to the concept of versioning as cultural domestication, ensuring that books do not only speak in the local language but also think in it. That is a revolutionary approach to early childhood education in multilingual societies like Nigeria.
What knowledge did you gained and how would you apply it to teaching and writing?
The training was intellectually rich, creatively stimulating, and methodologically rigorous. It combined literacy theory with practical tools: from gender-sensitive storytelling and age-appropriate syntax to visual literacy and storyboarding. One concept that stood out to me was ‘narrative relevance.’ The idea that a child must not only understand a story but also see themselves within it — their food, their attire, their family structure, their aspirations. As a professor and writer, I intend to infuse this principle into my lectures and syllabi. I will introduce modules on language localization and children’s narrative ethics in the curriculum for teacher education and creative writing students. This is where theory meets practice — and where practice shapes futures.
I see this training as a springboard for a three-pronged academic contribution: curriculum innovation, scholarly research, and content development. This is not just academic output; this is cultural investment.
What are the benefits of training and versioning to early learners and society?
Permit me to say: this project is an educational revolution disguised as storybook adaptation. For early learners, the benefits are immediate and profound. Reading in one’s mother tongue fosters not just comprehension but confidence. It nurtures identity and curiosity. For society, the ripple effects are multidimensional:
Culturally, it preserves language and heritage. Socially, it closes the gap between school and home. Academically, it enhances reading outcomes at the foundational level. Economically, it activates local publishing ecosystems and empowers writers, illustrators, editors, and translators.
Think of it this way: every storybook adapted into Hausa is a seed planted in the child’s linguistic garden. With care, it will grow into a forest of knowledge, confidence, and cultural pride.
How you rate the quality of training delivered by Room to Read?
The Room to Read team delivered a masterclass in participatory pedagogy. Their training sessions were not top-down; they were dialogic and iterative. We were not treated as mere consultants but as co-creators — an approach that honours both local expertise and global literacy goals.
Their delivery style was immersive, laced with cross-cultural awareness, and supported by rich case studies from across Africa and Asia. What impressed me most was their sensitivity to language politics, gender dynamics, and child psychology — especially in contexts as diverse as Nigeria. It was, in every sense, professional, profound, and purposeful.
Prof. Tyjani Shehu Almajir Osita Gerald
How do governments, stakeholders, policymakers and partners benefit from it?
To our policymakers: if we are serious about addressing Nigeria’s literacy crisis, we must decolonize our curriculum from the ground up. This means prioritizing indigenous language materials in the earliest stages of learning and providing adequate funding and training to support that.
We need policies that mandate mother tongue instruction, with implementation strategies that involve language experts, educators, publishers, and communities. Let us remember — literacy is not merely about decoding words; it is about decoding the world, and a child’s world is best understood first in their mother tongue.
To Room to Read and Accessible Publishers: you have sparked a movement. My advice is simple — sustain it. Expand it. Deepen it. Local ownership, continuous training, and integration into the national curriculum must be your next frontiers.
How do you assess the work Accessible Publishers does?
Accessible Publishers is more than a publishing house — it is an educational architecture firm. Their meticulous attention to linguistic accuracy, design aesthetics, and curriculum alignment shows they understand that books are not just products; they are instruments of change. They demonstrated an incredible capacity to manage logistics, editorial quality, and cross-language coordination. Their respect for language experts and their commitment to excellence made them not just effective, but exemplary.
In my view, Accessible Publishers is uniquely positioned to lead Nigeria’s transition from monolingual literacy models to plural, inclusive, and empowering learning ecosystems.
