The Federal Government has scrapped the national policy that mandated the use of indigenous languages as the medium of instruction in Nigerian schools.
The announcement was made by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, on Wednesday at the 2025 Language in Education International Conference, organised by the British Council in Abuja.
Dr. Alausa explained that English would now serve as the medium of instruction from pre-primary through tertiary education, citing data showing that teaching primarily in mother tongues had negatively affected learning outcomes in several regions.
“We have seen mass failure rates in WAEC, NECO, and JAMB in areas where mother tongue instruction was over-subscribed. Evidence-based governance demands English as the language of instruction across all levels,” he said.
The minister urged stakeholders to submit verifiable data if they disagreed, reaffirming the government’s commitment to evidence-based dialogue.
Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmed, highlighted a new teacher training package to improve literacy and numeracy for students from pre-primary to primary three.
Donna McGowan, Country Director of the British Council Nigeria, pledged continued support in teacher development, school leadership, and language proficiency to strengthen Nigeria’s education sector.
