- FG Cancels Mother Tongue Policy Over Poor Exam Performance
- The now-abandoned policy was approved in 2022
- Alausa noted that national examination results showed a correlation between poor performance
The Federal Government has scrapped the national policy mandating the use of indigenous languages as the medium of instruction in Nigerian schools.
Eko Hot Blog reports that the 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.
EDITOR’S PICK
- Lagos Begins 8-Month Road Repair on Lekki–Ajah Corridor
- Reps Probe ₦12tn Disbursed to Development Finance Institutions
- NYCN Epe Set to Host 2025 Youth Congress to Drive Employment and Innovation
The now-abandoned policy, approved in 2022, had directed that from early childhood education to primary six, the language of instruction should be the mother tongue or the language of the immediate community.
It was designed to promote indigenous languages, strengthen cultural identity, and improve learning outcomes in early education while maintaining English as the primary language at higher levels.
However, Alausa explained that after a comprehensive data review, the government found that the policy had not improved learning outcomes but instead worsened students’ academic performance in several parts of the country.
He noted that national examination results showed a correlation between poor performance and regions that had heavily implemented mother-tongue instruction.
“We have seen mass failure rates in WAEC, NECO, and JAMB in certain geopolitical zones, particularly where the mother tongue was oversubscribed as a teaching language,” Alausa said.
“This is about evidence-based governance. English now stands as the language of instruction from pre-primary to tertiary education levels.”
The minister added that the government’s decision was guided by evidence rather than emotion, describing the policy reversal as necessary to restore standards in Nigeria’s education system.
“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 stated.
