ABUJA, Nigeria — The Nigerian government has formally abandoned its national policy mandating the use of indigenous languages as the medium of instruction in schools, a move officials say is driven by evidence of declining academic performance.
The announcement was made by Education Minister Dr. Tunji Alausa at the 2025 Language in Education International Conference, hosted by the British Council in Abuja. The reversal was approved earlier this month at the 69th meeting of the National Council on Education, held in Akure, Ondo State.
The now-defunct policy, introduced in 2022, had required that children from early childhood through primary six be taught in their mother tongue or the language of their immediate community. It was designed to promote linguistic inclusion, preserve cultural heritage, and improve foundational learning outcomes. English remained the language of instruction for secondary and tertiary education.
But according to Alausa, the policy failed to deliver on its promise. “We have seen a mass failure rate in WAEC, NECO, and JAMB in certain geopolitical zones of the country, and those are the ones that adopted the mother tongue in an oversubscribed manner,” he said. “Using the mother tongue language in Nigeria for the past 15 years has literally destroyed education in certain regions.”
Citing national examination data, Alausa argued that students taught primarily in indigenous languages struggled with English comprehension and performed poorly in standardized assessments. “This is about evidence-based governance,” he said. “English now stands as the medium of instruction from pre-primary, primary, junior secondary, senior secondary, and tertiary education.”
The minister encouraged stakeholders with differing views to present verifiable data to support their positions, adding that the government remains open to dialogue grounded in empirical evidence.
The decision has sparked debate among educators, linguists, and civil society advocates. While some support the shift toward English-only instruction as a means of standardizing education and improving outcomes, others warn that it could accelerate the erosion of Nigeria’s rich linguistic diversity.
Minister of State for Education Prof. Suwaiba Ahmed said the government is implementing new measures to address foundational learning challenges, including a training package for teachers focused on literacy and numeracy. The initiative targets educators from pre-primary through primary three.
British Council Country Director Donna McGowan reaffirmed the organization’s commitment to supporting Nigeria’s education reforms. “We’re committed to working hand-in-hand with the ministry,” she said. “We work across all areas of education in terms of supporting teacher professional development, school leadership, and language proficiency.”
As Nigeria recalibrates its language policy, the debate over how best to balance cultural preservation with academic performance is likely to continue.
