FG cancels mother tongue policy, declares english sole medium of instruction

The Federal Government has cancelled the policy requiring indigenous languages as the medium of instruction in schools, declaring English as the sole language of instruction from primary to tertiary levels.

The announcement was made by Education Minister Dr. Tunji Alausa at the 2025 Language in Education International Conference organized by the British Council in Abuja on Wednesday.

The 2022 National Language Policy (NLP) previously mandated that children from Early Childhood Education to Primary Six be taught in their mother tongue or local language, while English would be used in later education. The policy aimed to promote indigenous languages and improve learning outcomes.

Dr. Alausa said data analysis showed that teaching in mother tongues had negatively affected students’ performance in national exams such as WAEC, NECO, and JAMB, particularly in certain regions. He stressed that evidence, not emotions, informed the decision.

“English now stands as the medium of instruction from pre-primary to tertiary education,” Alausa declared.

The Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmed, added that a new teacher training package is being developed to improve literacy and numeracy learning at the foundational level.

The British Council, represented by Country Director Donna McGowan, pledged continued support for Nigeria’s education reforms and teacher development programs.