By Desire Emmanuel
The Federal Government has again made another policy somersault as it cancelled the national policy mandating the use of indigenous languages (mother tongues) as the medium of instruction in schools.
Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, disclosed the cancellation at the 2025 Language in Education International Conference, organised by the British Council in Abuja on Wednesday.
It will be recalled that in 2022, the Federal Government approved a National Language Policy (NLP) which provides that from Early Child Care Education to Primary six, the language of instruction will be in the mother tongue or language of the immediate community.
The policy aimed to promote indigenous languages, recognise their equal status and improve early childhood learning outcomes, while English remains the official language used in later education and formal settings.
Speaking at the conference, Alausa said English is now the language of instruction in Nigerian schools from primary to tertiary levels.
He said Nigerian children had been performing abysmally in public examinations as a result of being taught in the mother tongue.
The minister said the decision to cancel the policy followed extensive data analysis and evidence showing that the use of mother tongue as the main medium of instruction had negatively affected learning outcomes in several parts of the country.
“We have seen a mass failure rate in WAEC, NECO and JAMB in certain geopolitical zones of the country and those are the ones that adopted this mother tongue in an over-subscribed manner.
“This is about evidence-based governance. English now stands as the medium of instruction from the pre primary, primary, junior secondary, senior secondary and to the tertiary education level.”
“Using mother tongue language in Nigeria for the past 15 years has literally destroyed education in certain regions. We have to talk about evidence, not emotions,” he said.
According to him, data gathered from schools across the country revealed that students taught primarily in indigenous languages recorded higher failure rates in national examinations and struggled with basic English comprehension.
“The national policy on language has been cancelled. English now stands as the medium of instruction across all levels of education,” he declared.
The minister urged stakeholders with differing views to present verifiable data to support their positions, adding that the government remained open to evidence-based dialogue that would strengthen the education sector.
He commended the British Council for its continued partnership with Nigeria in advancing education reforms and promoting inclusive language and learning policies.
