By Abdulrazak Usman
The Federal Government has officially revoked the National Language Policy (NLP), which mandated the use of indigenous languages as the medium of instruction in Nigerian schools.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, announced the decision on Wednesday during the 2025 Language in Education International Conference, organised by the British Council in Abuja.
The cancelled 2022 policy had directed that from early childhood to the end of primary education, pupils be taught in their mother tongue or the language of their immediate community, with English introduced later in formal education.
Dr. Alausa said the reversal followed extensive data analysis which showed that the policy had produced poor learning outcomes in many regions.
“We have seen a mass failure rate in WAEC, NECO and JAMB in certain geo-political zones that adopted the mother tongue excessively,” he said.
“Using the mother tongue language in Nigeria for the past 15 years has literally destroyed education in certain regions. This decision is about evidence, not emotions.”
The minister stated that English will henceforth serve as the sole medium of instruction across all levels of education — from pre-primary to tertiary institutions.
He explained that the data gathered from schools nationwide revealed that students taught primarily in indigenous languages recorded higher failure rates in national examinations and struggled with English comprehension.
“The national policy on language has been cancelled. English now stands as the medium of instruction across all levels of education,” Alausa declared.
He urged stakeholders who hold contrary opinions to present verifiable data to support their views, noting that the government remains open to evidence-based dialogue aimed at improving Nigeria’s education system.
The Minister commended the British Council for its sustained partnership with Nigeria in strengthening educational reforms and promoting inclusive learning initiatives.
Also speaking, the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmed, highlighted new measures to improve teaching at the foundational level.
“We are developing a training package for teachers focused on improving literacy and numeracy among pupils at the pre-primary and early primary levels,” she said.
In her remarks, the Country Director of the British Council Nigeria, Donna McGowan, reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to supporting Nigeria’s education sector.
“We remain dedicated to working closely with the Ministry of Education in advancing teacher training, school leadership, and language proficiency,” McGowan noted.
