Minister of State for Education, Suwaiba Ahmad, has explained why the Federal Government scrapped the policy mandating the use of mother tongues as the primary language of instruction in schools. She said the policy failed to produce the expected learning outcomes and made it difficult for pupils to transition into English, Nigeria’s official language used for national exams and job competition.
Ahmad stressed that the decision was not due to a lack of pride in Nigerian cultures but a pragmatic response to educational realities. She argued that the context of Nigeria’s multilingual society makes implementation challenging, despite the cultural value of indigenous languages.
The minister added that the government is now focusing on strengthening foundational learning through improved teacher training in literacy and numeracy. She also noted that the curriculum is overloaded and will be streamlined to enhance learning effectiveness.
The discontinued policy was approved in 2022 to make mother tongues the compulsory medium of instruction from primary one to six, aimed at promoting Nigerian languages.
Ahmad stressed that the decision was not due to a lack of pride in Nigerian cultures but a pragmatic response to educational realities. She argued that the context of Nigeria’s multilingual society makes implementation challenging, despite the cultural value of indigenous languages.
The minister added that the government is now focusing on strengthening foundational learning through improved teacher training in literacy and numeracy. She also noted that the curriculum is overloaded and will be streamlined to enhance learning effectiveness.
The discontinued policy was approved in 2022 to make mother tongues the compulsory medium of instruction from primary one to six, aimed at promoting Nigerian languages.
Minister of State for Education, Suwaiba Ahmad, has explained why the Federal Government scrapped the policy mandating the use of mother tongues as the primary language of instruction in schools. She said the policy failed to produce the expected learning outcomes and made it difficult for pupils to transition into English, Nigeria’s official language used for national exams and job competition.
Ahmad stressed that the decision was not due to a lack of pride in Nigerian cultures but a pragmatic response to educational realities. She argued that the context of Nigeria’s multilingual society makes implementation challenging, despite the cultural value of indigenous languages.
The minister added that the government is now focusing on strengthening foundational learning through improved teacher training in literacy and numeracy. She also noted that the curriculum is overloaded and will be streamlined to enhance learning effectiveness.
The discontinued policy was approved in 2022 to make mother tongues the compulsory medium of instruction from primary one to six, aimed at promoting Nigerian languages.
