Experts task FG on abolition of Mother Tongue as medium of instruction in primary school

Experts and stakeholders have expressed critical  opinions on educational policies of the current administration, saying there’s much fluidity, lack of consistence and absence of rigour in thinking them out.

This slew of criticism has heightened in the wake of the federal government’s cancellation of the 2022  Educational Policy on Use of Modern Tongue  as medium of instruction  in the primary school.  They have also picked hole in the implementation of the revised Senior Secondary School Curriculum ahead of the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

The abolition of tongue as a medium of instruction at the primary school level in Nigeria and its replacement with pre-2022 use of  the English language, which has been the practice since the colonial era has ignited a firestorm of  controversy among Nigerians and concerned institutions. Many experts condemn the move as not only abrupt but unilaterally taken without due consultations with stakeholders.

Some experts, who spoke with Business Hallmark, are disappointed at the stance of the federal government, as they insist  there is strong evidence that the mother tongue is vital and an imperative  for successful learning outcomes early in life.

Dr. Tunji Alausa, the Education Minister,  disclosed  the controversial policy change at the 2025 Language in Education International Conference, organised in Abuja by the British Council, referencing  abysmal  outcomes in public examinations as the major driver for the policy shift.

It would be recalled the mother tongue policy was given approval  in 2022 as the National Language Policy to advance  indigenous languages, give primal attention and recognition to  their equal status and improve early childhood learning outcomes, even as English remains the official language for later education and formal settings.

Unintended Policy Outcome

The mother tongue policy  emphasized the teaching of children from Early Childhood Education to Primary Four in their mother tongue or the language of the immediate community.

Alausa said, “We have seen a mass failure rate in WAEC (WASSCE), NECO, and JAMB in certain geo-political zones of the country, and those are the ones that adopted the mother tongue in an oversubscribed manner.”

Alausa’s argument is that  students encounter unnecessary challenges  in transitioning from their mother tongue to English.

Many academics and stakeholders disagree vehemently with the federal government’s position.

The President of the Nigerian Academy of Letters, Andrew Haruna,  criticized  the change. He noted that the decision  was arrived at without consultations, saying it was taken “so glibly, without due regard for expert knowledge and public opinion, is utterly scornful of Nigerians and does not speak well of the government’s respect for evidence-based policymaking.”

It would be recalled that on November 25, the Nigerian Academy of Education condemned the reversal of the Mother Tongue policy and the reversion to the use of English from Early Learning to primary school. The  Nigeria Academy of Education urged the federal government to take a second look at the decision with a view to reversing it.

Professor Mohammed Abdullah, a linguist, told Business Hallmark that  “All over the world, the importance of modern tongue as a medium of instruction is well recognized. If you go to China or Russia, instructions are conducted in their language, because research has shown that it’s easier to assimilate when you’re taught in your mother tongue. What government ought to have done was to improve on the policy, get as many texts as possible in local languages, in fact it can even extend the policy to secondary education. This will go side by side with the English Language.

According to Dr. Seyi Awoshakin, a psychologist,  Early Learners should be instructed in modern tongue. He told this medium that “For ease of thought, expression and assimilation, mother tongue  remains the best option when it comes to language for learning, especially given the reinforcement and complementary advantages of the home and the society. I can tell you that the mother tongue is the language of thought, creativity and innovation.

James  Kanayo, proprietor of Golden Gate International School, told this medium that “The policy rollback, which the federal government has done has the capacity to kill local languages.

“We are still in neo-colonial hangover. Government should be seen to be encouraging local idioms, our mother tongues should not be seen to be sacrificed to appease the god of the former colonial powers. I would have thought that government will also make our mother tongues compulsory. “For example, every child in the North should be instructed in that language, and same should apply in every other region of the country, side by side with the English Language.”

UNESCO has always emphasized that “Research shows that education in the mother tongue is a key factor for inclusion and quality learning, and it also improves learning outcomes and academic performance.”

No Easy Way

But Dr. Abayomi Kole, a social psychologist, backed the federal government’s position, as he noted that “We don’t need to deceive ourselves. When we ask the federal government to continue instruction in the local languages, we are proposing babel of voices. We have more than 600 local languages in the country, or are we suggesting that this policy should be limited to the big three- Yoruba, Igbo, and Hausa? It’s not workable.”

This position was reinforced by Alhaji Tajudeen Awolese, proprietor of  Rise and Shine International School, Egbe, who informed this medium that “English remains the best language of instruction for now, the only thing I can suggest is that the federal government should also make local tongue compulsory in each region. Teachers should explain in English and the local language for clarity. This will go along way in fostering compression.

Developing and learning the mother tongue as a subject in a multilingual setting like Nigeria, where there are over 500 indigenous languages, should be the first step preparatory to making them languages of instruction. As this process ensues, the challenges of textbook availability, especially in basic sciences, qualified and adequate teachers would have been overcome.

All the stakeholders spoken to are of the view that the federal government as a matter of necessity should go back to the drawing board to provide qualified teachers and develop our indigenous languages to continue to function first as subjects and later as languages of instruction when the learning atmosphere, resources, and environment are right.

It must be noted that adopting  the mother tongue as the language of instruction is a process that should factor in operational, personnel and funding issues. It cannot be done by fiat. China adopted deliberate, measurable, consistent and strategic measures that make Mandarin the official language of the over 300 indigenous languages in that country.

In a world of technology populated by internet-savvy youths, apps should be developed and employed to revolutionise the learning of indigenous languages, preparatory to making the languages of instruction.

Awolese noted that it’s important for the federal government to come up with  the necessary measures to make the teaching and learning of indigenous languages interesting, setting short, medium and long-term strategies with adequate timelines to make mother tongues relevant as languages of instruction.

Policy Rational

The mother tongue project, as presently constituted, cannot serve as the language of instruction. It should be retained as a subject undergoing critical development, and English employed as the language of instruction until the mother tongue has the capacity to replace English.

The government should fund the development of indigenous languages by experts, while parents should speak them to their children at home. The adoption of a mother tongue as the language of instruction is the ultimate goal.

The recognition accorded to English by the parents and the society runs deep. In Nigeria, intelligence and brilliance are unfortunately associated with competence and proficiency in English. These are psychological issues that cannot be wished away. They must be addressed through methodical, strategic, and consistent sensitization and policies.

Abdullah said the silver lining is that Dr. Alausa has said the door is not closed to the Mother Tongue policy as the language of instruction. However, the debate should not be limited to empirical data on student performance. Critical issues of political will, personnel, and the integrity of the planning and implementation of the project, as espoused above, should be examined.