In brief
Following three years of a controversial policy that mandated teaching in indigenous languages, the Nigerian government has decided to revert to English as the primary language of instruction from pre-primary through university levels. The Education Minister cited poor academic performance in regions that adopted mother-tongue teaching as a primary reason for the decision. Responses from education specialists and parents are mixed, with some praising the move while others argue it was abandoned too soon, emphasizing the need for comprehensive support for indigenous language instruction.
The Nigerian government has announced it is cancelling a controversial policy that mandated the use of indigenous languages for teaching in the earliest years of schooling instead of English.
Education Minister Tunji Alausa stated the program, introduced just three years ago, had failed to deliver and is being scrapped with immediate effect. Instead, English will be reinstated as the medium of instruction from pre-primary levels through to university.
The now-defunct program was launched by former Education Minister Adamu Adamu, who argued that children learnt more effectively in their mother tongue. At the time, Adamu cited numerous UN studies supporting this view.
Nigeria's education system faces serious challenges, including poor-quality teaching, inadequate materials, low teacher salaries, and numerous strikes. While approximately 85% of children attend primary school, less than half complete their secondary education, with 10 million children out of school, more than any other nation according to UN data.
During the announcement in Abuja, Dr. Alausa pointed to poor academic results from regions that had adopted mother-tongue teaching, citing data from the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), the National Examinations Council (Neco), and the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (Jamb).
We have seen a mass failure rate in WAEC, Neco, and Jamb in certain geo-political zones of the country, and those are the ones that adopted this mother tongue in an over-subscribed manner, stated the minister.
The abrupt cancellation of the policy has drawn mixed responses from education specialists, analysts, and parents. Some have hailed the government's decision, agreeing that its implementation was problematic and contributed to falling standards. Conversely, others believe the policy was abandoned prematurely, arguing that significant educational shifts necessitate substantial investments in teacher training, textbook development, and a longer timeframe for assessment.
Education expert Dr. Aliyu Tilde supported the reversal, emphasizing that Nigeria lacks trained teachers capable of instructing in its many indigenous languages. He noted that major exams like WAEC and Jamb are conducted in English, not in native languages.
A parent, Hajara Musa, expressed her support for the switch back to English, believing that early exposure to the global language would be beneficial for her children. In contrast, social affairs analyst Habu Dauda criticized the government's decision as premature, advocating for additional investment to improve the quality of instruction in indigenous languages.
The debate underscores the ongoing struggle in Nigeria to balance the preservation of linguistic heritage with the educational needs of a globalized world where English proficiency is critical.
