NAE condemns Nigeria’s mother-tongue policy reversal, calling for restoration of indigenous-language instruction to improve early learning outcomes.

The Nigerian Academy of Education (NAE) on Friday criticised the Federal Government’s decision to scrap the National Language Policy, urging the Minister of Education, Maruf Alausa, to reinstate mother-tongue instruction at foundational levels of schooling.

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In a position paper submitted on 25 November, NAE President Emeritus Prof.

Olugbemiro Jegede and Secretary‑General Prof. Chris Chukwurah described the policy reversal as a “grave disservice” to Nigeria’s educational progress.

The Academy argued that early education in indigenous languages improves learning outcomes, strengthens cultural identity, and fosters inclusive national development.

The policy reversal, announced at the 2025 Language in Education Conference organised by the British Council in Abuja, designates English as the sole medium of instruction from pre‑primary through tertiary education.

NAE contended that poor performance in public examinations cannot be attributed to mother-tongue instruction, which ends at primary four, and noted the lack of empirical evidence supporting claims that indigenous-language teaching undermines learning outcomes.

Citing research such as the historic Ife Six‑Year Project and recent bilingual-education studies, the Academy warned that discontinuing mother-tongue instruction without rigorous evaluation amounts to “permanent recolonisation and the burial of Nigeria’s future and pride.”

It called for strengthened policy implementation through teacher training, improved learning materials, stakeholder engagement, and evidence-based reviews.

Separately, NAE decried rising school attacks by terrorists, noting at least 92 school invasions, 2,500 abductions, over 180 child deaths, 90 injuries, and more than 90 still missing since the 2014 Chibok abduction.

The Academy warned that over one million children now live in fear of attending school, emphasising that education in Nigeria is “under siege.”

“These are not statistics but shattered dreams, grieving families and a generation at risk,” NAE stated, urging decisive government action to protect learners and school personnel, ensure stringent punishment for perpetrators, provide trauma care, and compensate bereaved families.

While the Federal Government argues that the language-of-origin curriculum led to elevated failure rates in key national exams, NAE stressed that mother-tongue instruction benefits early-childhood learning, enhances literacy, and preserves cultural heritage.

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The Academy reaffirmed its readiness to collaborate with the Ministry of Education to ensure a functional, culturally grounded education system for future generations.