Stakeholders Kick As Lawmakers intensify Plans To Ban Children’s Textbook

They proposed a review of the contentious words as a solution, rather than an outright ban.

Stakeholders in the education sector have raised concerns over the debate by the National Assembly about banning the use of “Queen Primer” in schools.

Arise News reports that Queen Primer is a book published in 1888 to help elementary students to pronounce, read and write with ease.

So far, Kano State Censorship Board was said to have confiscated over 1000 copies of Queen Primer.

The motion seeking its ban was raised on the floor of the House of Representatives which had asked all tiers to effect the ban due to its content.

The resolution followed the adoption of a motion moved by Sulaiman Gumi, on the floor of the House.

He said the book contains words like “gay” and “eros”, which according to the lawmakers, are words that are introducing “gay and lesbians” to children.

Speaking in support of the motion, Bello el-Rufai, said he had to withdraw his children from a popular school in Abuja because of the words.

Consequently, the House resolved to ban the book and other similar books that encourage pervasive culture and as well criminalise using such words.

But at a one-day roundtable meeting in Abuja with stakeholders to present findings from a research conducted on “Queen Primer”, the Country Director of Ipas Nigeria Health Foundation, Lucky Palmer, said the meeting was to help address misconception around the textbook and developing strategies towards educating people around it.

According to him, looking at the illiteracy level in Nigeria, Queen Primer textbook remains a critical text for the better future envisioned for the country.

Palmer explained that to ban the book is not the way forward, adding that the Nigerian educational institutions should take a critical look at other words that can be used in the process of review.

He said, “Today, we just had a session based on motion to ban the book, Queen Primer book which we all know is meant to help to read and spell. So, we wanted to be with the stakeholders to understand the rational behind it and how do we defend it from happening.

“And as you can see, there are a lot misconceptions about what we all know about the book. From our meeting, it has been agreed that there should be public sensitization on Queen Primer book which is over 70 years, it is not a new book and it is designed to help everybody read.

“When we all look at the illiteracy level in our country, we all know that this book remains critical for the better future we all have for our country.”

The Partnerships and Program Manager of Ipas Nigeria, Doris Ikpeze, explained that It is very wrong for the legislators to take some information without getting to check its meaning and be misinterpreted and misinformed. 

According to her, Apart from the word,  “Gay”, there is no other word contentious in the book. 

“So, we don’t want some set of people to say the book should be banned without bringing out what these information really is. We should not just sit there and people bring out misinformation, and remain silent. There is a need to correct the misinformation that we have so that our lawmakers and policy makers would begin to understand what this is all about”, she said.

The Deputy Director in FCT Education Resource Centre, Joy Chris Ogbonnaya, said Queen Primer is not a new book.

She supported that the only contentious word found in it is ” Gay” which have been taken it out of context of words in English which can mean several things.

“At this level of these children, I wonder what they know about Gay. The book is just teaching children how to pronounce and write. Children that have issues with reading and learning alphabets, Queen Primer is the first book we recommend for them and it has helped children over the years to learn to read and pronounce. 

“Two/three letter words. In Education Resource Center, we are very particular about the books we recommend in the FCT. We are very careful about the moral content of any book we are using”, Ogbonnaya said.

The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, represented by the CEO of National Library of Nigeria, Prof. Chinwe Veronica Anunobi, said the timing of the meeting is appropriate, adding that the Minister is at the verge of reviewing curriculum for basic and secondary schools in line with his mandate.

She said, “In 2022, we bought so many Queen Primer to aid our campaign, I guess that was what made it go viral because for you to read to learn pronunciation, you have to start with Queen Primer. So we bought it and distributed all over the nation. And we had literacy centres all over the local governments.

“My minister is a man of action, by the time I take how you all stakeholders feel about it to the him, and the way we at the National Library feel about it, I think it would be factored into curriculum review.

“Queen Primer is very important in literacy because it is the only literary material available for beginners and we haven’t seen any indigenous literary material that is helping along that line.

“I am actually concerned because this book was first published in 1888, it is in public domain. When reproduced, our copyright ends at 70 years. So it can be re-edited. If the word Gay is so much, we can reproduce for Nigerian students use.”

According to Ipas in its report, textbooks in schools are used to educate children on different subjects and topics. 

The research said, “Owing to the short attention span of children, some of these materials contain graphic images and phrases used to hold their attention and retain learning, however, some groups have shown concern about the content of some of these materials. 

“In recent months, opposition groups in Nigeria have raised concerns about certain textbooks used in schools, particularly the Queen Primer used in early grade schools to teach children how to read, alleging the inclusion of lewd and sexual material intended to defile students mentally. 

“These groups argue that such content violates cultural and moral values, necessitating the removal of the textbooks from educational institutions.”