The Federal Government has clarified that indigenous languages have not been prohibited in Nigerian schools, stressing that the recent policy change only restricts their use as the primary medium of instruction to better prepare students for national examinations conducted in English.
Speaking during an interview on ARISE News on Sunday, the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, explained that the decision followed a careful assessment of the education system rather than an outright rejection of mother-tongue instruction.
He noted that while research shows children often learn better when taught in their native languages, the challenge lies in implementation within Nigeria’s highly diverse and multilingual society, which has about 646 indigenous languages.
Alausa assured Nigerians that students would continue to study at least one native language as a subject at the primary, junior secondary, and senior secondary levels, emphasising that the government values and takes pride in Nigeria’s linguistic heritage.
The clarification comes after the Federal Government’s decision in November 2025 to discontinue the policy that mandated indigenous languages as the main medium of instruction nationwide, a move that sparked criticism from education stakeholders. Educationist Anthony Otaigbe described the decision as a setback, arguing that it removed one of the most progressive elements of Nigeria’s education framework. Similarly, the Bible Society of Nigeria, in January 2026, called on the government to review the policy, warning that some indigenous languages were already facing extinction due to lack of active use.
Responding to these concerns, Alausa explained that the policy, which was introduced many years ago, had been unevenly implemented across the country. According to him, several regions did not adopt it at all, while others applied it beyond its original scope.
He said the policy was intended to apply only from Primary One to Primary Three, after which teaching was meant to transition to English. However, in some regions, instruction in mother tongue continued up to Primary Six, Junior Secondary School, and in some cases, proposals were made to extend it to Senior Secondary School.
Alausa pointed out that this approach left many students ill-prepared for national examinations such as NECO, WAEC, and JAMB, which are conducted in English, especially given the lack of adequate instructional materials in indigenous languages.
He added that government analysis of literacy and numeracy levels showed that regions where the policy was over-implemented were performing significantly worse than areas where it was not enforced, stressing that the ministry would not allow such outcomes to persist.
