FG Cancels Indigenous Language Policy in Public Schools, Cites Poor Exam Performance

 

FG Cancels Indigenous Language Policy in Public Schools, Cites Poor Exam Performance

TEC News|Abuja|13th November 2025.

The Federal Government has officially scrapped the national policy mandating the use of indigenous languages as the medium of instruction in public schools, attributing the decision to the poor academic performance of students in national examinations.

Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, announced the policy reversal on Wednesday at the 2025 Language in Education International Conference organised by the British Council in Abuja.

He said data from across the country revealed that students taught primarily in their mother tongues performed poorly in major examinations such as WAEC, NECO, and JAMB, compared to their counterparts instructed in English.

“This is about evidence-based governance,” Alausa stated. “English now stands as the medium of instruction from pre-primary to tertiary education. Using the mother tongue for the past 15 years has literally destroyed education in certain regions.”

 

The now-suspended National Language Policy (NLP), approved in 2022, had required schools to teach pupils from early childhood through primary six in their mother tongue or the language of the immediate community. The policy aimed to strengthen cultural identity and enhance learning outcomes at the foundational level.

However, Alausa maintained that the approach had not yielded the intended results, stressing that the government’s decision was backed by empirical data.

“We have seen mass failure rates in regions that adopted this model excessively,” he added. “Stakeholders with differing opinions should present verifiable data to support their positions. The government remains open to evidence-based dialogue.”

Also speaking, the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmed, disclosed that the ministry had developed a new training package for teachers focused on improving literacy and numeracy instruction at the foundational level.

“We are training teachers across pre-primary to primary three on the best methods for teaching literacy and numeracy,” she said.

The British Council Country Director, Donna McGowan, reaffirmed the council’s commitment to supporting Nigeria’s education reforms through teacher development, school leadership, and language proficiency programmes.

“We’re committed to working hand-in-hand with the Ministry of Education to strengthen the system and improve learning outcomes,” McGowan said.

With the reversal, English now becomes the official language of instruction across all levels of education in Nigeria , from early childhood to tertiary institutions.