Education U-Turn: FG Calls For Reversal Of Indigenous Language Policy In Schools

Education U-Turn: FG Calls For Reversal Of Indigenous Language Policy In Schools

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration has urged the National Council on Education (NCE) to reconsider using mother tongues as the primary medium of instruction from Primary One to Six.

Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, Minister of State for Education, presented this at the 2025 Extraordinary NCE Meeting in Abuja on Thursday. She proposed limiting mother tongue instruction to Early Childhood Care Development and Education (ECCDE) and Primary One…….READ MORE 

NAN reports that the NCE previously promoted using native languages for the first three years of primary schooling to preserve Nigerian languages and strengthen foundational learning. This was approved by the Federal Executive Council on November 30, 2022.

However, Ahmad outlined challenges stalling the policy’s rollout:

• Inconsistent implementation in urban areas where English is predominantly used.
• Multilingual complexity, with over 500 languages in Nigeria, complicating the selection of a dominant language in diverse communities.
• Lack of instructional materials in various local languages.

She emphasized the need for a policy review to address these issues.

Meanwhile, Minister of Education Dr. Tunji Alausa recommended integrating secondary education into basic education, extending it to 12 years, aligning with global best practices and Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4) for inclusive, quality education.

“This move will improve access, retention, and completion rates. By making secondary education part of basic education, we ensure continuous learning up to age 16, reducing dropout rates,” Alausa stated.

Alausa also proposed transforming Federal Science and Technical Colleges (FSTCs) into Federal Technical Colleges (FTCs) to emphasize practical and technical skill development. He introduced the TVET initiative (Technical and Vocational Education and Training) to combat youth unemployment by aligning education with industry demands.

He further supported incorporating the 16-year minimum admission age into the NCE framework, standardizing tertiary education entry requirements.

The meeting gathered education commissioners from the 36 states, FCT representatives, agency heads, international bodies, and the Deputy Governor of Kano State.