The Federal Government has abolished the national policy that required schools to teach pupils in indigenous languages.
Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, announced the decision on Wednesday at the 2025 Language in Education International Conference in Abuja. He said the National Council on Education approved the cancellation during its 69th meeting in Akure, Ondo State.
The scrapped 2022 National Language Policy had directed that children from early childhood to Primary Six be taught in their mother tongue or local language.
Alausa explained that the change was based on evidence showing poor academic performance in regions that heavily adopted mother-tongue instruction. “English will now serve as the medium of instruction at all education levels,” he said, adding that the mother-tongue approach had “literally destroyed education in certain regions.”
While some experts have long advocated teaching in indigenous languages to enhance understanding, the government insists that English remains the most effective medium for Nigerian schools.
