The Federal Government has cancelled the National Language Policy, which previously directed that the language of instruction in early childhood and primary schools be the mother tongue or language of the immediate community.
The Minister of Education, Dr Olatunji Alausa, announced the decision on Wednesday in Abuja during the Language in Education International Conference 2025 organised by the British Council. He stated that English will now serve as the language of instruction from primary to tertiary education levels across the country.
Alausa explained that the decision followed a review of data and evidence from the Ministry of Education, which indicated that prolonged use of mother-tongue instruction had contributed to weak learning outcomes and poor performance in public examinations.
He noted that challenges such as linguistic diversity, limited teaching resources, and teacher deployment across different language regions also affected the implementation of the policy.
“The National Policy on Language has been cancelled. English is now the language of instruction in our schools, from primary to tertiary levels,” the minister said.
He added that the policy review aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s directive to address key challenges in the education sector and improve learning quality nationwide.
The Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, said the government remains committed to inclusive language policies that promote equal learning opportunities and cultural understanding. She acknowledged that while the mother-tongue approach aimed to improve foundational learning, its implementation faced practical obstacles.
The conference, themed “Inclusive Language-in-Education Policy and Practice — Empowering Every Learner in Sub-Saharan Africa,” was held from November 12–13, 2025, and brought together policymakers, educators, and researchers to discuss strategies for improving education through language inclusion.
Officials from the British Council and other education partners reaffirmed their support for Nigeria’s efforts to strengthen language education and ensure better learning outcomes across all levels.
