The Federal Government has officially abolished the use of indigenous languages as a medium of instruction in Nigerian schools, making English the sole language of teaching from early childhood through tertiary education.
Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, announced the new directive on Wednesday at the Language in Education International Conference 2025, organised by the British Council in Abuja.
The two-day conference, themed “Language, Education and Inclusion: Empowering Every Learner,” brought together policymakers, educators, and experts from across Africa, South Asia, and the UK to explore how language can drive inclusion and improve learning outcomes.
Dr. Alausa explained that while preserving Nigeria’s over 600 local languages remains vital for cultural identity, English offers a more effective, unifying, and globally competitive medium for teaching and learning.
“The English language should be used to teach our students at all levels as a means of instruction,” he said. “Over the years, the use of mother tongues in schools has contributed to poor performance in national examinations. The national policy on language has therefore been cancelled.”
He described English as a “unifying tool” for Nigeria’s linguistically diverse population, adding that evidence-based research revealed that students taught primarily in English tend to perform better in examinations such as WAEC, NECO, and JAMB.
According to the minister, the decision represents a strategic shift from emotional attachment to local language identity toward data-driven education reform designed to improve literacy and learning outcomes nationwide.
Meanwhile, the British Council reaffirmed its commitment to promoting inclusive and equitable learning across Sub-Saharan Africa.
Julian Parry, Director of English Programmes for the region, said the organisation believes that language can serve as “a bridge to inclusion, identity, and opportunity.”
Also speaking, Chikodi Onyemerela, the British Council’s Director of Programmes in Nigeria, highlighted the Council’s Pan-Ethnic Classrooms Programme, launched in 2015, which equips teachers with inclusive, language-responsive teaching practices to support diverse classrooms.
A statement from the Ministry of Education later clarified that the decision was endorsed at the 69th National Council on Education held in Akure, where the Council unanimously agreed that English remains the medium of instruction from primary to tertiary levels, effectively discontinuing the NERDC’s mother-tongue policy for Primary 1–3 introduced in 2022.
It added that the new Inclusive Language Policy aims to strengthen national unity, promote quality education, and align Nigeria’s system with global best practices under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Sa’id Ahmed, further clarified that while English would remain the main instructional language, students will still be encouraged to learn at least one Nigerian language to preserve cultural heritage and foster national cohesion.
The new directive is expected to take effect from the 2025/2026 academic session, signalling a major shift in Nigeria’s education policy and classroom language practice.