The Federal Government under President Bola Tinubu has officially designated English as the only language of instruction across all levels of education in Nigeria, effectively ending the mother-tongue-based teaching policy introduced in 2022.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, made the announcement during the 69th National Council on Education (NCE) meeting held in Akure, Ondo State. He explained that evidence from national examinations showed that students taught primarily in indigenous languages recorded poorer performance compared to those taught in English.
“Using the mother tongue language in Nigeria for the past 15 years has literally destroyed education in certain regions. We have to talk about evidence, not emotions,” the minister said.
The new directive mandates the use of English from pre-primary to tertiary levels, reversing the earlier policy that encouraged instruction in local languages at the foundational stages of learning.
Experts say the move aims to standardize communication and improve academic performance, though it has also sparked debates about cultural preservation and language inclusion in education.
