The Federal Government has explained that it scrapped the national policy requiring schools to use indigenous languages as the medium of instruction due to poor learning outcomes and widespread failure in national examinations.
Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Wednesday at the 2025 Language in Education International Conference organised by the British Council in Abuja.
According to him, data collected from schools across the country revealed that students taught mainly in their mother tongue performed poorly in key examinations such as WAEC, NECO, and JAMB, and also struggled with English comprehension.
“We have seen mass failure in WAEC, NECO, and JAMB in certain geopolitical zones that adopted the mother tongue policy too aggressively,” Alausa said.
He stressed that the decision to discontinue the policy was driven by evidence rather than sentiment, noting that research showed the approach had negatively affected education quality in some regions.
“Using the mother tongue for instruction in the last 15 years has, quite frankly, weakened education in certain parts of the country. This is about evidence-based governance. English will now remain the language of instruction from pre-primary to tertiary levels,” the minister stated.
Alausa urged stakeholders who disagree with the government’s decision to present credible data to support their position, emphasizing that the administration welcomes open, evidence-based dialogue to strengthen the education sector.
Also speaking at the event, Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmed, said the government has introduced new training programmes to help teachers improve literacy and numeracy among pupils at the foundational level.
She explained that the initiative targets teachers from pre-primary to primary three to ensure a stronger foundation in basic learning skills.
ICYMI
British Council Nigeria Country Director, Donna McGowan, reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to supporting Nigeria’s education reforms through teacher training, school leadership, and language proficiency programmes.
