Education experts have called for a more balanced and inclusive approach to language use in Nigerian classrooms, urging the government to integrate both local and international languages to strengthen foundational learning.
Speaking at the Language in Education International Conference 2025 held in Abuja, Dhir Jhingran, founder of the Language and Learning Foundation (LLF), stressed that language and literacy form the backbone of a child’s cognitive development and overall educational success.
“Language is a tool for thinking, reflecting, and organizing our thoughts. When children learn in a language unfamiliar to them, the vital link between language and thought is disrupted, which affects both learning and cognition,” Jhingran said.
He argued that teaching children in their home language while gradually introducing an international language such as English is not contradictory, but rather complementary when effectively implemented. Drawing from experiences in India, Jhingran explained that bilingual or multilingual education helps bridge comprehension gaps and boosts literacy outcomes.
According to him, foundational literacy should extend beyond reading and writing to include oral comprehension, reasoning, creativity, and a link to children’s real-life experiences. He proposed a four-part framework for language teaching—covering oral language, decoding, reading comprehension, and writing—designed to respect and utilize children’s linguistic backgrounds.
Jhingran also highlighted the importance of teacher recruitment and training policies that reflect Nigeria’s linguistic diversity. He advocated supporting local youths to qualify as teachers in their native communities, ensuring that instruction is aligned with learners’ realities.
“Programs that introduce local languages often fail because they neglect strong second-language teaching practices. We must ensure that children learn international languages well, alongside their mother tongues, using effective multilingual strategies,” he added.
He recommended that early childhood education, especially pre-primary levels, should focus on home languages to build a solid literacy foundation before introducing international languages like English.
In his remarks, Minister of Education Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa reaffirmed the Federal Government’s position that English will remain the official medium of instruction at all levels of education—from pre-primary to tertiary institutions.
Alausa, who declared the conference open, commended the British Council for organizing the event and said the government welcomes open dialogue on language policy. However, he cited extensive data showing poor learning outcomes in states that had implemented mother-tongue-based instruction, noting that such results informed the government’s decision to discontinue the 2022 National Policy on Language.
“We must have honest conversations. We cannot afford to be dogmatic. Based on the extensive data we have reviewed, the outcomes of some of these language policies have been alarmingly poor. Therefore, we have had to act decisively to safeguard the quality of learning in our schools,” Alausa said.
He reaffirmed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s commitment to overhauling the education sector, even when it requires taking difficult or unpopular decisions.
“As the President has directed, we will continue to make the hard choices necessary to guarantee that every Nigerian child receives the highest quality of education,” the minister said.
Alausa urged participants at the conference to focus on practical, evidence-based strategies to make education the “great equalizer”—a tool to break barriers and open opportunities for children across Africa.