The Federal Government has cancelled the national policy mandating the use of indigenous languages like Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba as the medium of instruction in primary schools.

The minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, announced this development at the 2025 Language in Education International Conference, organized by the British Council in Abuja on Wednesday.

In 2022, the Nigerian government approved a National Language Policy (NLP), which stipulates that from Early Childhood Education to Primary Six, the language of instruction will be in the mother tongue or the language of the immediate community.

The policy aims to promote indigenous languages, recognise their equal status, and improve early childhood learning outcomes, while English remains the official language used in later education and formal settings.

Speaking at the conference, Alausa said English is now the language of instruction in Nigerian schools from primary to tertiary levels.

He said Nigerian children had been performing abysmally in public exams as a result of being taught in their mother tongue.

The minister stated that the decision to cancel the policy was based on extensive data analysis and evidence showing that the use of the mother tongue as the primary medium of instruction had negatively impacted learning outcomes in several parts of the country.

“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.

“This is about evidence-based governance. English now stands as the medium of instruction from the pre-primary, primary, junior secondary, senior secondary and to the tertiary education level.”

“Using the mother tongue language in Nigeria for the past 15 years has literally destroyed education in certain regions. We have to talk about evidence, not emotions,” he said.

According to him, data gathered from schools across the country revealed that students taught primarily in indigenous languages recorded higher failure rates in national examinations and struggled with basic English comprehension.

“The national policy on language has been cancelled. English now stands as the medium of instruction across all levels of education,” he declared.

The minister urged stakeholders with differing views to present verifiable data to support their positions, adding that the government remained open to evidence-based dialogue that would strengthen the education sector.

He commended the British Council for its continued partnership with Nigeria in advancing education reforms and promoting inclusive language and learning policies.

The Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmed, spoke on other areas of focus by the government to address the teaching and learning crisis at the foundational level of education.

Ahmad said a new training package had been designed for teachers to help with literacy and numeracy learning.

”Now we are designing a training package for the teachers that focuses on the learning of literacy and numeracy.

“This is specifically training teachers who teach across the foundation level from pre-primary to primary one to three.

“We are training them how best to teach literacy, how best to teach numeracy, and of course, the approach,” she said.

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A newly completed public primary school in Abuja’s Abaji Area Council has been deserted, leaving over a hundred children without access to education.

This was revealed in a report released on Wednesday by the Monitoring and Implementation Team Nigeria (MonITNG), which described the situation as “heartbreaking” and a clear failure of governance.

Pupils Left Idle as Teachers Abandon School

During a recent field visit to LEA Primary School, Dumi, in Gawu Ward, MonITNG discovered that teaching activities had completely collapsed despite the school being fully completed and once populated by over 113 pupils.

The organisation reported that teachers hardly attend classes, often showing up “once a week, staying for barely an hour, and then disappearing again for weeks or even months.”

As a result, pupils no longer attend lessons, the classrooms remain locked, and the premises have been overtaken by weeds. Parts of the school building are also beginning to deteriorate.

“What should have been a centre of learning and hope now stands as a symbol of neglect and government failure,” MonITNG stated.

Parents Seek Alternatives Amid Neglect

According to the report, several parents have withdrawn their children and enrolled them in schools in neighbouring communities.

Those who can afford it have opted for private schools, while others, unable to pay fees, have kept their children at home.

MonITNG described the abandonment of the school as a waste of public funds and a violation of children’s right to education.

The organisation also linked the situation to wider issues affecting rural education, including poor supervision, teacher absenteeism, and lack of accountability.

New Abuja school turns ghost site as Teachers show up once a week, pupils hopeless

Calls for Urgent Action from Authorities

The monitoring group appealed to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and Senator Ireti Kingibe to ensure the FCT Universal Basic Education Board (UBEB) intervenes immediately.

“We are calling on the Honourable Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, and Senator Ireti Kingibe, to urgently ensure UBEB acts swiftly to restore education in Dumi,” the group stated.

They urged that teachers return to their posts, the school environment be rehabilitated, and stronger monitoring systems be established to prevent similar neglect.

“The children of Dumi deserve better. Education is not a privilege; it is their right. Government must act now to restore learning and hope to this forgotten community,” MonITNG added.

Symbol of a Wider Rural Education Crisis

LEA Primary School, Dumi, was built under the FCT Universal Basic Education Board to provide quality education for children in Gawu Ward and nearby settlements. It was designed to save pupils from walking long distances to school.

However, despite completion and an initial enrolment of over 113 pupils, lack of supervision and absentee teachers have left the school inactive.

Education observers say the Dumi case highlights a broader problem across Nigeria’s rural communities, where many public schools remain abandoned due to weak management and oversight.

Advocates have called on authorities to strengthen accountability within the Universal Basic Education framework to ensure public schools fulfil their purpose.

Source: GISTREEL

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The Federal Government has announced that English will now serve as the primary medium of instruction in all Nigerian schools, officially cancelling the national policy that required teaching in indigenous languages.

Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Wednesday, November 12, while speaking with journalists at the Language in Education International Conference 2025 organised by the British Council in Abuja.

The two-day conference, themed “Language, Education and Inclusion: Empowering Every Learner,” brought together educators, policymakers, researchers, and development partners from across Africa, South Asia, and the United Kingdom to discuss language-based strategies for inclusive education.

Dr. Alausa explained that the policy change aims to improve learning outcomes and promote consistency across Nigeria’s educational system. While acknowledging the cultural importance of indigenous languages, he maintained that English should be the main medium of instruction from pre-primary to tertiary education.

“English language should be used to teach our students at all levels as a means of instruction. Over the years, mother tongues have been used to teach and this has largely been responsible for the failures recorded in exams. The national policy on language has been cancelled. English now stands as the medium of instruction across all levels of education,” he said.

According to the minister, data from national examinations such as WAEC, NECO, and JAMB revealed that the excessive use of indigenous languages in some regions had contributed to poor comprehension and declining performance among students. He emphasized that policy decisions must be guided by evidence rather than emotional or cultural sentiment.

Dr. Alausa added that English provides a unifying communication platform in Nigeria’s multilingual context and opens doors to global knowledge, technology, and opportunities.

In the same event, Julian Parry, Director of English Programmes for Sub-Saharan Africa at the British Council, reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to promoting inclusive and equitable education through language-responsive teaching.

“Language can act as a bridge to inclusion, identity, and opportunity for every learner,” Parry said, noting that collaboration and evidence-sharing were key to improving educational outcomes globally.

Also speaking, Chikodi Onyemerela, Director of Programmes at the British Council Nigeria, highlighted the organisation’s ongoing work in inclusive education.

“Since 2015, through our Pan-Ethnic Classrooms Programme, we have developed inclusive pedagogy initiatives that enable teachers to embed inclusive practices in the classroom,” he said.

The policy shift marks a major transformation in Nigeria’s education system, with the government emphasizing global competitiveness and uniformity in instruction while pledging continued support for indigenous language preservation outside the formal classroom setting.

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