Some parents in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have admitted that they pay extra fees for their children to learn how to speak with British accent.

The parents, who spoke in separate interviews with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), gave several reasons why they felt having British accent would help the children, with some regarding it as proper education.
Investigations in schools around Garki, Gwarimpa, Wuse, Asokoro and Maitama in FCT revealed that the teaching of British accent had been included in the curriculum.

The classes, developed to satisfy parents, were named ‘Phonics’, ‘Elocution’, ‘Enunciation’ and ‘Diction.

These classes were most times separated from the normal English and Literature lessons commonly found in schools and were allocated special times in the timetable.

Classes in the schools go for cumulative prices between N10,000 and N25,000 per term, added to the standard school fees.

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

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

They said since English originated from Britain, it was important that children learned to speak it in the proper accent, adding that it would help the children to relate better with people abroad.

Mrs Christina Ayuba, a businesswoman with four children said she was glad that her children were being taught British accent in school.

She said although she did not fully understand the way the children speak lately, she was proud that they speak that way, as it made her feel like she was giving them the best education.

“I feel the pride of a parent when my children go to Church and people envy the way they speak smartly, at least I won’t be bothered if they go abroad.

“They will be able to interact with white people and understand them when they talk. It is something every parent should pay for to improve the children’s English language.”

Another parent, 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 lessons they receive in school.

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

“We did not have these kind of lessons growing up and it affected us. When you hear people speaking with British accent, you start to feel your grammar isn’t correct.

“We don’t want our children to suffer these things and so 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 long and also do not want them to feel left out when they go abroad.”

The practice led to a surge in private ‘diction’ tutors who teach children in their homes or act as resource persons to 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 tutor, said he started the business in 2017 after a friend told him that his British accent could fetch him money.
He works as a private tutor in homes and also acts as resource person in schools, after interaction with other tutors led him to develop a complete course curriculum.

He said:

 “parents pay a lot and teaching this accent is the thriving business in Abuja now. The craze is very high and it is almost like competition.

“Some of these children have poor grammatical structure and you have to work on that before you start to teach the accent properly,” Ajobi added.

However, some other parents were against the teaching of British accent to children; saying it was another form of neo-colonialism and now a status thing among parents.
They insisted that learning proper grammar was essential “and not English flavours.”

Mrs Vera Alikan, a mother of two, said she was contented with proper English taught to her children and would not force them to take on any accent.
She added that it was preferable for children to learn foreign languages rather than accent.

“My children are normal and speak good English without an accent and I am okay with it. The situation is alarming as parents are competing with it, even in Churches.
“You hear some parents bragging that their children can speak in British accent, to them, education is complete.

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

Mrs Abiola Kayode-Apampa, an Educationist with over 20 years experience and a school administrator, said the trend had heightened as parents continued to pressurise schools on British accent lessons.

She said the trend was creating more room for inferiority complex among children and parents who could not afford the extra charge.
“parents encourage the teaching of British accent and most schools have to take this into consideration so as to maintain the relationship.

“However, teaching should be focused on imbibing the right grammatical structure so the students can speak well.

“Most schools are trying to copy and pander to pressure, without focusing on impacting real knowledge that the children can become better with,” Kayode-Apampa said.

“an accent could be cool but it was not a yardstick for grading the intelligence of a child as erroneously done today by parents and schools.”

Kayode-Apampa hoped that educational priorities should be set straight “so that things like accent and ‘cosmetic teaching’ do not take over proper academics.”

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[url][/url]https://www.mojidelano.com/2018/02/oh-wow-nigerian-parents-pay-for-their-kids-to-learn-british-accent/

Inferiority complex at its peak!!!

If na rich parents dey do am, it's not bad cos dem go find one office or ministry put dia pikin after all.

Na the poor folks i pity, after spending salary and pension even drink garri the pikin no go get job.

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

So all these politicians pikin wan leave us here, abi?

An Indian is proud to speak English with his unique accent, same with a Spanish, Australian and even South African, what the heck is wrong with us in this shïthole

They have money to waste. What they don't understand is, even if you are born and bred in Britain the British still can never take you as one of their own as long as you have a different skin color.

d

To what ends?
Foe what reasons??

and na hausa teacher dy teach dem d accent

this is funny.

I'll gladly do so.


its worth more than a Bsc in theatre arts, Mass com, public relations, Secretariat studies etc.

She said although she did not fully understand the way the children speak lately, she was proud that they speak that way, as it made her feel like she was giving them the best education.

Intellectual Colonialism and Slavery at its peak.

It has numerous advantages.

They said since English originated from Britain, it was important that children learned to speak it in the proper accent, adding that it would help the children to relate better with people abroad.
The bolded is very true.

Also, having a clean British accent in a foreign country, you can teach English language as a native speaker in non-English speaking countries eg China. and the pay is mad!

Nairalanders shouting "fake life" upandan When your brothers and sisters abroad are bleaching their skins to appear "white" and get English teaching jobs. But their accent still lets them off sha. Haha

I wish I had a clean British accent though. Not the fake one. I mean, the real one. It requires re-learning the pronunciation of almost all words you have ever known with the right diction and the right pitch. Wow! Youtube has been helpful for the past two years. It keeps getting better.

I won't even pay for my kids to learn that, I'll lead them to the right environment at young age and they'll learn it naturally. Amiiiii o

Fake life everywhere

jazinogold:

and na hausa teacher dy teach dem d accent

See mentality , so only Hausa teachers exist in Abuja?! Continue.........

Nigerians are on the highest pedestal when it comes to inferiority complex.

In the UK where I live, you hear Jamaicans, including the ones born in the UK speaking with a Jamaican accent. All over the world, that Caribbean flavour never leaves them.Their accent and words have even encroached into the London lingo.

A Nigerian sister arrives and starts speaking through her nose after 3 months. Mumu people

Nigerians and Bri'ish Accent, neocolonialism at its peak!

Those jagons up there is nothing but a trash, what more important in speaking British accent?,if I become a president,all Nigerian languages will be included in an official language just like South Africa,in south Africa, it doesn't matter If u speaks English or afrikaans or zulu or shona or zutu, the more u can communicate with people and know what you are doing, the other day I was listening to one South African senator speech on TV ,the woman can't speak English properly but they translate it to English and afrikaans, they said the senator is one of the best senator in the country, then I think of Nigeria, we think we know everything but we are ignorant, our too know it all has destroyed the country , thats y the country keeps rusting, who knows may be those that can't speak properly English hav better and beautiful ideas than those crooks we have as leaders, oyinbo knows how to value their culture and language even they modernised it, we embrace everything about them and leave our own to go extinct,no wonder nigeria has no airways and many of our things has rust away and masses can't stop crying, but they forget that those things starts from individuals. a time will come wen our culture will become something of a past and history, then we will know that we have lost our roots.

soberdrunk:
Inferiority complex at its peak!!!

The most useless comment of all times .

AnodaIT:

So all these politicians pikin wan leave us here, abi?

An Indian is proud to speak English with his unique accent, same with a Spanish, Australian and even South African, what the heck is wrong with us in this shïthole

that one is too far. D Scots, Irish and welsh, d closest set of people 2d English, have their own accents. They are always proud of it&don't give a damn about d English. But our people lack a sense of national pride

I shake my head for these parents

'even if you speak more than fluently another's tongue, the doors of meaning and the meanings of meaning are forever closed unto you'

Our brightest minds came from the age where English was taught as a second language. Thinking and expression is more profound in local languages and when such thinking is translated to English, it is always unique.

How can one be so crazed about another's man's tongue that even accent is being paid for?

Only in the shithole countries



But after voting Buhari
There is no escape route from here

The parents are bastards, bunch of low self esteemed idiots. I hope they know how the British immigration law works. This is just to intimidate other parents and kids, this is pure show off. BTW do they know how stupid they will sound when people ask them "how long have you been in Britain" and they say never been there or just 1 month?. Stupid parents

Not only in Asokoro or Maitama, even in remote area of Abuja where I reside, same thing is being taught, now I can not pronounce words in peace again without my son not correcting me. And I'm loving it!

soberdrunk:
Inferiority complex at its peak!!!

It is not inferiority complex. If a person is learning Yoruba, should they be speaking it in Tiv accent?
If you speak English, you should speak in British accent-Queens English specifically.
Everything is not inferiority complex.

HigherEd:
Intellectual Colonialism and Slavery at its peak.

What's is intellectual slavery? Fool do you speak English?

Vera Alikan is a smart woman. The rest are just sad.