FG Reverses Policy On Use of Indigenous Languages As Medium Of Instruction In Schools, Says Pupils Perform Poorly In Exams

Federal Government has reversed its national policy which makes it mandatory for teachers to use  indigenous languages as the medium of instruction in schools, saying the policy is responsible for the poor performance of  pupils in public examinations.

 Nigerian children according to government had been performing abysmally in public examinations as a result of being taught in their mother tongue.

The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, announced the policy reversal  during the 2025 Language in Education International Conference, organised by the British Council in Abuja on Wednesday.

The Federal Government had in 2022 approved a National Language Policy (NLP), which stipulates that from Early Childhood Education to Primary Six, the language of instruction will be in the mother tongue or the language of the immediate community.

The objectives of the policy is 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.

But the Minister, speaking at the conference, says  English is now the language of instruction in Nigerian schools from primary to tertiary levels.

Alausa explained  that the decision to cancel the policy was based on extensive data analysis and evidence showing that the use of the mother tongue as the primary medium of instruction had negatively impacted learning outcomes in several parts of the country.

“We have seen a mass failure rate in WAEC, NECO, and JAMB in certain geo-political 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", the Minister maintained