FG Scrap Mother Tongue As Primary School Teaching Language

Di Federal Government don reverse di 2022 National Language Policy wey talk say di language of instruction from early childhood to Primary Six suppose be di mother tongue or di language of di immediate community. Di Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, yarn for Abuja say English go now be di language of instruction for all Nigerian schools from primary to tertiary level. Alausa, wey dey speak for di opening of di Language in Education International Conference 2025 wey di British Council organise, talk say Nigerian children dey perform badly for public exams because dem dey teach dem for mother tongue. E yarn say evidence-based research don show say di old policy don “destroy” di education system as pupils and students dey move up classes without learning basic skills.

Alausa explain say Nigeria get plenty languages, and di old policy no dey work well for all geopolitical zones. E yarn say dem review di data and see say teaching in mother tongue from Primary One to Primary Six, even JSS One to JSS Three, no dey give better result. E add say exams dey English but children dey learn for mother tongue, and dis dey create wahala, like for Borno where people speak Kanuri but di mother tongue na Hausa, or Lagos where areas like Ajegunle get mostly southeastern people but teachers na southwest. Di minister talk say English go unify di system and improve results. British Council Country Director, Donna McGowan, yarn say di conference go help improve English proficiency, bring stakeholders together from Africa, South Asia, and UK to see how language fit support inclusion and better learning outcomes. Di 2022 policy try preserve indigenous languages and culture, but wahala dey with teaching materials, teacher training, and linguistic diversity.