There is hope that the fear of the Yoruba Language facing extinction will simmer as a Nigerian computer scientist at the University of Ibadan (UI), Dr Ronke Sakpere, has developed a mobile application, KoEDE, to boost the language learning among children through gamified digital tools.
Sakpere shared her motivation and the significance of the application with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ibadan on Tuesday.
NAN reports the innovation comes amid growing concerns over declining fluency in indigenous languages among Nigerian children, particularly in urban centres where English dominates communication at home and in schools.
Nigeria is home to more than 500 indigenous languages, but experts, however, warned of weakening intergenerational transmission, as many children struggle to speak their mother tongues fluently.
Although the national policy on education recommends mother-tongue instruction in early years, implementation has faced challenges in many schools.
Sakpere said KoEDE was conceived in 2022 during her participation in the Empowering The Teacher (ETT) Fellowship Programme at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), United States.
“I enrolled in a technology design course at the MIT Media Lab, which required us to develop a project.
“After reflection, I realised that many children back home do not speak their native languages fluently.
“I, therefore, conducted a quick pilot study, and the findings affirmed this concern.
“That was when I decided to design a technology intervention to help African children learn their native languages,” she said.
According to her, the application was developed using gamification principles and constructivist pedagogy to make learning engaging and enjoyable.
“The app features puzzles, sentence formation, and touch-and-drag interactive exercises, structured across beginner, intermediate, and expert levels,” the don said.
Sakpere said that the final phase of the development was carried out in collaboration with the Yoruba Centre, UI, known for teaching the Yoruba Language locally and internationally.
“The app includes a reward system where learners earn points for correct answers. It does not heavily penalise wrong answers, thereby encouraging continued participation.
“It also allows learners to study at their own pace, supported with visual illustrations and audio to strengthen pronunciation and comprehension,” she said.
According to her, the four-year project faced funding constraints until 2024, when it secured a grant from AlumNode, under the auspices of the Klaus Tschira Stiftung, a German foundation.
The computer scientist described the funding as instrumental in strengthening the application and covering technical and human resource costs.
“The app has been uploaded to the Google Play Store and has undergone internal testing by more than 20 students ahead of its public launch, scheduled for Feb. 23,” she said.
Currently focused on Yoruba, Sakpere said there were plans to expand the platform to other major Nigerian languages, such as Igbo and Hausa.
“In the next version, we hope to introduce synchronous learning features that will allow learners to interact in real time.
“We also intend to integrate relevant Artificial Intelligence features to personalise learning,” she said.
