By Ademuyiwa Balikis
The Nigerian Academy of Education (NAE) has criticised the Federal Government’s decision to discontinue the National Language Policy, urging the Minister of Education, Maruf Alausa, to reverse the directive and restore mother tongue instruction at the foundational stages of schooling.
The policy, originally introduced to strengthen early childhood learning through the use of indigenous languages, was recently abandoned by the government in favour of English only instruction from prebprimary level. The Education Ministry had argued that challenges with implementation, limited teaching resources, and concerns about pupils’ performance in national examinations informed the reversal.
In a statement issued after its review of the development, the Academy described the government’s decision as troubling and counterproductive to the broader goals of national education. It maintained that decades of educational research, including recommendations from global bodies, support the use of children’s first languages during the early years of learning, citing benefits such as improved comprehension, literacy development, and cultural preservation.
The NAE warned that eliminating mother-tongue instruction could diminish Nigeria’s linguistic diversity and weaken the cultural foundations that underpin national identity. The group also argued that shortcomings in implementation should not be mistaken for policy failure, insisting that the government ought to strengthen teacher training, expand the development of instructional materials, and address resource gaps instead of discarding the policy entirely.
The Academy called on the Federal Government to reconsider its position and engage stakeholders across the education and language sectors to chart a sustainable path that supports both quality learning and the preservation of Nigeria’s indigenous languages.
