FG Scraps Indigenous Language Policy as Medium of Instruction in Schools

The Federal Government has 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 decision on Wednesday at the 2025 Language in Education International Conference organised by the British Council in Abuja.

Alausa disclosed that the cancellation was approved at the 69th meeting of the National Council on Education held in Akure, Ondo State, between November 3 and 7, 2025.

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

Explaining the rationale behind the reversal, the minister said the policy had negatively impacted learning outcomes in some parts of the country.

“We have seen mass failure rates in WAEC, NECO and JAMB in certain geopolitical zones of the country, particularly those that adopted the mother-tongue policy in an oversubscribed manner,” Alausa said.

He stressed that the decision was based on evidence rather than sentiment, adding that English would now serve as the medium of instruction across all levels of education.

“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 stated.

Alausa further argued that the prolonged use of indigenous languages as the primary teaching medium had harmed educational standards in some regions.

“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 added.

Over the years, there have been sustained calls for the adoption of indigenous languages as teaching tools in Nigerian schools, with proponents arguing that it would improve comprehension and learning outcomes. Similar approaches are practised in countries such as China and Russia, where native languages are commonly used in education.