The Federal Government has abolished the National Language Policy, reinstating English as the medium of instruction across all educational levels

The Federal Government has abolished the national policy mandating the use of indigenous languages as the medium of instruction in Nigerian schools.

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Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, announced the policy reversal on Wednesday at the 2025 Language in Education International Conference, organised by the British Council in Abuja.

According to Alausa, the decision was ratified during the 69th meeting of the National Council on Education, held in Akure, Ondo State, from November 3 to 7.

The now-defunct National Language Policy, approved in 2022, required that children from early childhood to Primary Six be taught in their mother tongue or the language of the immediate community.

It aimed to promote indigenous languages, enhance early learning outcomes, and affirm linguistic diversity.

However, Alausa said new evidence showed the policy had led to declining academic performance, prompting the government to restore English as the sole medium of instruction at all levels — from pre-primary to tertiary education.

“We have seen a mass failure rate in WAEC, NECO, and JAMB in regions that oversubscribed to the mother-tongue model. This is about evidence-based governance,” he stated.

The minister argued that data revealed students taught primarily in indigenous languages struggled with basic English comprehension and performed poorly in national examinations.

“Using mother tongue instruction for the past 15 years has literally destroyed education in certain regions. The national policy on language has been cancelled. English now stands as the medium of instruction across all levels,” Alausa declared.

He urged stakeholders who disagreed with the decision to provide verifiable evidence supporting the benefits of mother-tongue instruction, assuring that the ministry remained open to data-driven dialogue on education reform.

The Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmed, also disclosed that the government is designing new teacher training programmes focused on literacy and numeracy to improve foundational learning outcomes.

“We are training teachers from pre-primary to Primary Three on the most effective methods for teaching literacy and numeracy,” she said.

In her remarks, British Council Country Director, Donna McGowan, reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to supporting Nigeria’s education reforms.

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“We’re committed to working hand-in-hand with the Ministry of Education — supporting teacher development, school leadership, and language proficiency,” McGowan said.