Nigeria has scrapped its three-year-old policy mandating the use of indigenous languages for early-years teaching, reinstating English as the official medium of instruction from pre-primary through university level. Education Minister Tunji Alausa announced the reversal in Abuja on Monday, describing the initiative as unsuccessful and “over-subscribed” in regions that adopted it most aggressively.
The policy, introduced under former Education Minister Adamu Adamu, was designed to improve comprehension by teaching children in their first languages. Adamu argued at the time that children learned more effectively when taught in their “mother tongue”, citing research widely endorsed by UN agencies involved in early childhood development.
Government blames rising exam failures
Dr Alausa said new performance data from the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), National Examinations Council (NECO) and the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) revealed troubling patterns. According to him, failure rates increased sharply in some geopolitical zones that implemented mother-tongue instruction more extensively.
“We have seen a mass failure rate in WAEC, NECO and JAMB in certain geopolitical zones, and those are the ones that adopted this mother-tongue policy in an over-subscribed manner,” he said.
Alausa noted that while the philosophy behind the initiative had value, its execution was uneven and lacked adequate resources, leaving many schools unable to meet the demands of the reform.
Experts divided over the policy U-turn
The decision has drawn mixed reactions. Supporters of the reversal say Nigeria’s education system is already strained by chronic underfunding, periodic strikes, inadequate teacher training and a shortage of learning materials. They argue that the mother-tongue programme risked adding pressure to a system struggling to deliver basic quality.
Education specialist Dr Aliyu Tilde said Nigeria lacked the trained personnel needed to teach in the country’s numerous indigenous languages. He also highlighted the fact that all major examinations remain conducted exclusively in English.
“The answer is no,” he told the BBC when asked if schools had enough qualified teachers to implement the policy. “What is needed to improve the quality of our schools is bringing in qualified teachers.”
Many parents share that view. Hajara Musa, who has two children in nursery school, said early exposure to English remains essential. “English is a global language that is used everywhere, and I feel it’s better these kids start using it from the beginning,” she said.
Critics say three years too short for meaningful results
Others argue the government acted prematurely. Social affairs analyst Habu Dauda said the policy was not given a long enough runway to determine its true impact. “Three years is too little to judge a big shift such as this,” he said, adding that the government should have invested more heavily in teacher training and instructional resources to support the rollout.
A familiar struggle: heritage vs global competitiveness
The debate reflects a long-standing challenge in Nigeria’s education landscape—how to preserve linguistic and cultural identity while preparing students for national examinations, tertiary education and participation in a globalised economy. English proficiency remains central to academic progression and professional opportunity, leaving policymakers caught between cultural preservation and practical necessity.
For now, English returns as the standard language of instruction nationwide, while the broader conversation on strengthening Nigeria’s classrooms—without losing its cultural heritage—continues.