Cambridge Dictionary’s Gender Redefinition: Nigerian Education Regulators Respond
Some Nigerian education regulatory agencies have reacted to the recent inclusion of transgender people in the Cambridge dictionary definition of male and female.
The Cambridge dictionary now recognizes transgender men as men and transgender women as women in its dictionary.
Previously, the dictionary defined the two sexes simply by their biological composition. But now the dictionary defines a man as "an adult male human being", adding "[a man is] an adult who lives and identifies himself as a man although he may have been said to have a gender different at birth".
“[A woman is] an adult who lives and identifies as a woman although she may have been said to have been of a different sex at birth,” the dictionary says in the definition of a woman.
While it's unclear when Cambridge made the changes, the additions were seen on Wednesday.
A review of other widely accepted dictionaries such as the Oxford English Dictionary and the Merriam-Webster Dictionary showed that their definitions had not been changed at 4 p.m. Wednesday.
But the Cambridge amendments have not found favor with Nigerian education regulatory agencies such as the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) which regulates the activities and certification of teachers, and the National Education Research and Development Council (NERDC), which regulates the curriculum and books used in Nigerian schools.
TRCN boss rejects new definitionTRCN Registrar Josiah Ajiboye, a professor, rejected the new addition, describing it as a Eurocentric or Western definition.
He insisted that the definition of both sexes remains biological in the Nigerian context as recognized by the Nigerian Constitution.
"...Nigerians should stick to their own definition of male and female, and we should not be lured into others' definition because this Eurocentric academic imposition is going to affect our children," he said in a phone interview with our reporter on Wednesday.
"So I think Nigerians should stick to their own definition based on the constitution of Nigeria, based on the laws of our country. The laws of our country actually prohibit homosexuality and all that kind things."
Mr. Ajiboye therefore called on Nigerian educators to stick to the "original" definition of male and female and urged them to abandon the new additions to the Cambridge dictionary.
He said: "We encourage Nigerians and teachers - both teachers and learners - to respect the laws of our lands and respect the Nigerian definition of who is a male child and who is a girl because this euro-centrism or western definition may not help our children and therefore our children, learners and teachers should stick to the original definition of who is a male child and who is a girl .
"This strange orientation should not be brought into our education system. We don't want our children to be drawn into this. It's some other people's problem and we don't want to share their problem. We have there are enough problems facing our education system already. We should not be drawn in by the challenges that other people create for themselves. Thus, Nigerian teachers and Nigerian educators should stick to the original definition of who is a male child and who is a female child."
"It won't pass"Meanwhile, a senior NERDC official said it was simply impossible for the Commission to allow the use of such definitions for gender in Nigerian schools.
Some Nigerian education regulatory agencies have reacted to the recent inclusion of transgender people in the Cambridge dictionary definition of male and female.
The Cambridge dictionary now recognizes transgender men as men and transgender women as women in its dictionary.
Previously, the dictionary defined the two sexes simply by their biological composition. But now the dictionary defines a man as "an adult male human being", adding "[a man is] an adult who lives and identifies himself as a man although he may have been said to have a gender different at birth".
“[A woman is] an adult who lives and identifies as a woman although she may have been said to have been of a different sex at birth,” the dictionary says in the definition of a woman.
While it's unclear when Cambridge made the changes, the additions were seen on Wednesday.
A review of other widely accepted dictionaries such as the Oxford English Dictionary and the Merriam-Webster Dictionary showed that their definitions had not been changed at 4 p.m. Wednesday.
But the Cambridge amendments have not found favor with Nigerian education regulatory agencies such as the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) which regulates the activities and certification of teachers, and the National Education Research and Development Council (NERDC), which regulates the curriculum and books used in Nigerian schools.
TRCN boss rejects new definitionTRCN Registrar Josiah Ajiboye, a professor, rejected the new addition, describing it as a Eurocentric or Western definition.
He insisted that the definition of both sexes remains biological in the Nigerian context as recognized by the Nigerian Constitution.
"...Nigerians should stick to their own definition of male and female, and we should not be lured into others' definition because this Eurocentric academic imposition is going to affect our children," he said in a phone interview with our reporter on Wednesday.
"So I think Nigerians should stick to their own definition based on the constitution of Nigeria, based on the laws of our country. The laws of our country actually prohibit homosexuality and all that kind things."
Mr. Ajiboye therefore called on Nigerian educators to stick to the "original" definition of male and female and urged them to abandon the new additions to the Cambridge dictionary.
He said: "We encourage Nigerians and teachers - both teachers and learners - to respect the laws of our lands and respect the Nigerian definition of who is a male child and who is a girl because this euro-centrism or western definition may not help our children and therefore our children, learners and teachers should stick to the original definition of who is a male child and who is a girl .
"This strange orientation should not be brought into our education system. We don't want our children to be drawn into this. It's some other people's problem and we don't want to share their problem. We have there are enough problems facing our education system already. We should not be drawn in by the challenges that other people create for themselves. Thus, Nigerian teachers and Nigerian educators should stick to the original definition of who is a male child and who is a female child."
"It won't pass"Meanwhile, a senior NERDC official said it was simply impossible for the Commission to allow the use of such definitions for gender in Nigerian schools.
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