The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, announced the decision on Wednesday at the 2025 Language in Education International Conference organised by the British Council in Abuja.
According to reports, the policy reversal was ratified at the 69th National Council on Education meeting held in Akure, Ondo State, between November 3 and 7, 2025.
The cancelled 2022 National Language Policy had required teachers to use pupils’ mother tongues or local community languages for instruction from Early Childhood Education through Primary Six. The goal was to promote cultural identity, improve comprehension, and enhance early learning outcomes.
However, Minister Alausa said recent data showed that states which adopted the mother-tongue policy recorded poorer performances in national examinations such as WAEC, NECO, and JAMB.
“This is about evidence-based governance,” he said. “English now stands as the language of instruction from pre-primary to tertiary education. Using the mother tongue in schools has, for the past 15 years, contributed to declining performance in certain regions.”
He further noted that many students taught primarily in indigenous languages struggle with English comprehension and underperform in external exams.
Alausa urged stakeholders who oppose the decision to present verifiable data supporting their stance, adding that the ministry remains open to dialogue aimed at improving Nigeria’s education standards.
Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmed, added that the government is introducing new teacher training programmes focused on literacy and numeracy, particularly for teachers in early grades (Pre-Primary to Primary Three).
She said, “We are developing a training package for teachers that focuses on effective literacy and numeracy instruction to improve foundational learning.”
The British Council Country Director, Donna McGowan, reaffirmed the Council’s commitment to supporting Nigeria’s education sector through teacher training, leadership development, and language proficiency programmes.
