NIGERIA: FG Scraps Mother Tongue Policy, Cites Poor Student Performance

By Ameenat Hamzat, Lagos, Nigeria 

The Federal Government has cancelled the national policy mandating the use of indigenous languages as the medium of instruction in schools, citing poor student performance in public examinations.

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

Alausa explained that evidence from national assessments showed that students taught in their mother tongue performed poorly in examinations such as WAEC, NECO, and JAMB, especially in English comprehension.

According to him, the policy had been counterproductive in several regions, leading to declining academic performance over the years.

Alausa said: “Using the mother tongue language in Nigeria for the past 15 years has literally destroyed education in certain regions.”

The minister said English would now serve as the sole language of instruction from pre-primary to tertiary levels, describing the move as an evidence-based decision aimed at improving learning outcomes.

He urged education stakeholders with contrary opinions to present verifiable data supporting their position, stressing that the ministry remained open to dialogue on reforms that would strengthen the education sector.

Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmed, said the government had developed new teacher training packages to enhance literacy and numeracy instruction in early education.

She noted: “We are designing a training package for teachers focusing on literacy and numeracy learning, specifically for those teaching from pre-primary to primary three. We’re training them on how best to teach literacy, how best to teach numeracy, and of course, the approach.”

British Council Country Director, Donna McGowan, also pledged continued support for Nigeria’s education reforms, adding that the Council would work closely with the ministry to strengthen teacher development and language proficiency.

“We’re committed to working hand-in-hand with the Ministry of Education. We support teacher professional development, school leadership, and language proficiency to help reposition Nigeria’s education system,” McGowan stated.