The Federal Government has officially reversed the 2022 National Language Policy, announcing that English will now serve as the sole language of instruction across all Nigerian schools—from primary to tertiary levels.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, made the declaration on Wednesday in Abuja at the opening of the Language in Education International Conference 2025, organised by the British Council. He said the decision followed comprehensive research showing that teaching in the mother tongue had negatively impacted learning outcomes nationwide.
“The National Policy on Language has been cancelled. English is now the language of instruction in our schools, from primary to tertiary levels,” Alausa stated. “One of the most important and powerful things in education is language. That’s how the role of language instruction is going to be developed in all subjects.”
Dr. Alausa explained that the 2022 policy, which directed that the mother tongue or the language of the immediate community be used from early childhood through Primary Six, had “destroyed” the education system. He said many students advanced through school without mastering essential literacy and numeracy skills, resulting in poor performance in national examinations like WAEC, NECO, and JAMB.
Citing evidence-based findings from the ministry’s review, he said, “We’ve seen total destruction of Nigeria’s system, where children graduate up to JSS Three or even SS Three without learning anything. They go on to sit national exams—and fail.”
The minister also highlighted the practical difficulties of implementing the mother-tongue policy in a linguistically diverse country like Nigeria. “In Borno State, the mother tongue is Hausa, but many speak Kanuri. In Lagos, areas like Ajegunle have predominantly southeastern populations, but 90% of teachers are from the southwest. This diversity requires a unified approach to language instruction,” he said.
Earlier, the Country Director of the British Council, Nigeria, Donna McGowan, said the conference aims to enhance English language proficiency and improve testing standards across educational institutions. She noted that the gathering brings together policymakers, educators, researchers, and partners from Africa, South Asia, and the UK to explore how language can promote inclusion and improve learning outcomes.
The 2022 policy, introduced to promote indigenous languages and cultural preservation, had faced major hurdles, including inadequate teacher training, lack of instructional materials, and Nigeria’s vast linguistic diversity—home to over 600 languages, 29 of which are already extinct.
With the new directive, the Federal Government says it hopes to unify the learning experience, improve literacy rates, and strengthen performance in national and international examinations.