Federal Government Scraps Indigenous Language Policy for School Instruction

Minister Cites Poor Academic Outcomes, Reaffirms English as Sole Medium of Teaching

The Federal Government has officially scrapped the national policy mandating the use of indigenous languages as the medium of instruction in Nigerian schools.

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

PUNCH Online learnt that the decision was ratified at the 69th meeting of the National Council on Education, held in Akure, Ondo State, from 3 to 7 November.

The policy, originally approved in 2022 as the National Language Policy, had stipulated that children from Early Childhood Education to Primary Six should be taught in their mother tongue or the language of the immediate community.

It was designed to promote indigenous languages, recognise their equal status, and enhance early childhood learning outcomes, while English remained the official language for higher levels of education and formal settings.

Speaking at the conference, Alausa stated that English would now serve as the language of instruction across all tiers of education, from primary to tertiary level.

He attributed the reversal to data indicating poor academic performance in regions where mother-tongue instruction had been heavily adopted.

“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 the mother tongue in an oversubscribed manner.
This is about evidence-based governance. English now stands as the medium of instruction from pre-primary, primary, junior secondary, senior secondary, and tertiary education,” he said.

Alausa added,

“Using the 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 noted that data from schools nationwide showed students taught primarily in indigenous languages had 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,” Alausa declared.

The minister encouraged stakeholders with opposing views to present verifiable data to support their positions and emphasised that the government remains open to evidence-based dialogue aimed at strengthening the education sector.

He also commended the British Council for its continued partnership with Nigeria in advancing education reforms and promoting inclusive language and learning policies.

Meanwhile, the Minister of State for Education, Professor Suwaiba Ahmed, said the government is implementing additional measures to address foundational learning challenges.

“Now we are designing a training package for teachers that focuses on literacy and numeracy.
This specifically targets teachers of pre-primary to Primary One to Three. We are training them on the best methods to teach literacy and numeracy and the appropriate approach to classroom learning,” she said.

British Council Country Director, Donna McGowan, reaffirmed the council’s commitment to supporting Nigeria’s education reforms.

“We’re committed to working hand-in-hand with the ministry. We work across all areas of education in terms of supporting teacher professional development, school leadership, and language proficiency,” McGowan said.