The Federal Government has officially scrapped the national language policy that required Nigerian schools to teach in indigenous languages, declaring English as the exclusive medium of instruction at all educational levels.
Initially introduced in 2022, the National Language Policy mandated that pupils from Early Childhood Education to Primary Six be taught in their mother tongue or the language spoken within their community.
However, in a significant policy shift, Minister of Education Dr. Tunji Alausa announced the cancellation on Wednesday during the 2025 Language in Education International Conference organized by the British Council in Abuja.
Poor Exam Results Linked to Mother-Tongue Teaching
According to Dr. Alausa, data revealed that regions where mother-tongue education was widely adopted recorded lower academic performance in national examinations such as WAEC, NECO, and JAMB.
“We have observed a high failure rate in WAEC, NECO, and JAMB in regions that heavily implemented the mother-tongue policy,” he stated.
He emphasized that the policy, though well-intentioned, had negatively impacted educational outcomes in certain parts of the country.
“Using indigenous languages as the main medium of instruction for the past 15 years has significantly weakened education in some regions. We must rely on evidence, not emotions,” the minister added.
With this latest decision, English Language will now be the official and only language of instruction from the primary through tertiary levels in Nigeria.