Abuja parents pays additional fees for children to learn British accent

Some parents in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) say they pay an additional surcharge for their children.

The parents, who spoke in a separate interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said they had felt they had a problem.

The investigations in the Garki, Gwarimpa, Wuse, Asokoro and Maitama Abuja schools have been included in the curriculum.

The classes, developed to be parents, were called Phonics, Elocution, Enunciation and Diction.

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These classes were often separated from the normal classes of English and literature generally found in schools and

assigned special times in the schedule.

Classes in schools have cumulative prices between N10,000 and N25,000 per quarter, added to standard school fees.

Some schools visited by NAN said that such classes were optional but that pressure from some parents was gradually making it popular.

According to some parents, having their children speak with a British accent gives them the feeling that they are receiving an adequate formal education; unlike the standard they had (parents) in their time.

They said that since the English language originated in Britain, it was important for children to learn to speak it with the right accent, adding that it would help children to relate better to people abroad.

Ms. Christina Ayuba, a business woman with four children, said she was happy that her children were being taught the British accent at school.

She said that although she did not fully understand the way children talk lately, she was proud that they talked in that way, since

She feels that I was giving them the best education.

"I feel the pride of a father when my children go to church and people envy the way they speak intelligently, at least they will not bother me if they go abroad.

"They will be able to interact with white people and understand them when they speak." It is something that all parents should pay to improve the English language of children. "

Another father, Mr. Oyietari Oboro, an engineer with two children, told NAN that he hired a tutor to teach his children the accent at home; in addition to the lessons they receive at school.

He added that it was a necessary skill since the world was becoming more global and people needed to be armed with the right conversational skills; noting that the British accent had become an added advantage.

"We did not have these kinds of lessons growing and it affected us." When you hear people speaking with a British accent, you begin to feel that your grammar is not correct.

"We do not want our children to suffer these things and these lessons are important as part of equipping them for the future.

"Most of us do not want our children to stay in this country for a long time and they do not want them to feel left out when they go abroad."

The practice led to an increase in private "diction" tutors who teach children in their homes or act as sources of resources for schools.

Some of the tutors told NAN that they charge between N15,000 and N30,000 per month, depending on the intensity of the lessons.

Mr. Charles Ajobi, a guardian, said he started the business in 2017 after a friend told him that his British accent could bring him money.

He works as a private tutor in the homes and also acts as a resource person in the schools, after interaction with other tutors led him to develop a complete curriculum.

He said that "parents pay a lot and teaching this accent is the prosperous business in Abuja now." The madness is very high and is almost like competition.

"Some of these children have a poor grammatical structure and you have to work on that before you start teaching the accent correctly," Ajobi added.

However, some other parents were against teaching the British accent to children; saying that it was another form of neocolonialism and now a question of status among parents.

They insisted that learning correct grammar was essential "and not in English flavors".

Ms. Vera Alikan, a mother of two, said she was happy that she taught the right English to her children and would not force them to adopt any accent.

He added that it was preferable for children to learn languages ​​instead of accents.

"My children are normal and they speak good English without an accent and I agree with that." The situation is alarming since the parents compete with her, even in the churches.

"Some parents are heard boasting that their children can speak with a British accent, for them, education is complete.

"It just shows that our mentality is still very low in this part of the world, I see it as an inferiority complex."

Ms. Abiola Kayode-Apampa, an educator with more than 20 years of experience and school administrator, said that the trend had been accentuated as parents continued to pressure schools on British accent lessons.

She said that the trend was creating more space for the inferiority complex between children and parents who could not afford the additional cost.

She said "parents encourage the teaching of the British accent and most schools have to take this into consideration to maintain the relationship.

"However, teaching should focus on absorbing the correct grammatical structure so that students can speak well.

"Most schools are trying to copy and indulge in pressure, without focusing on the impact of real knowledge with which children can improve," said Kayode-Apampa.

He added that "an accent could be great, but it was not a criterion to qualify the intelligence of a child as erroneously done today by parents and schools."

Kayode-Apampa expressed the hope that educational priorities should be clear "so that things like accent and 'cosmetic teaching' do not take over the proper academics."