A Policy Reversal Built On Sand: An Evidence-Based Rebuttal To The Minister Of Education’s Position On Mother Tongue Instruction

It is universally agreed that the Federal Government’s National Language Policy (2022) must above all promote educational, cultural and economic benefit for all. We, as literacy and language experts, know from decades of evidence-based research that promoting mother-tongue instruction in early- grade education is a paramount in achieving that goal.

We believe that the Federal Government’s proposal to scrap the 2022 National Language Policy is a decision that will have far reaching consequences for the Nigerian child. The Minister’s claim that mother tongue instruction “destroyed education” and caused “mass failure rate” in national exams” is not only deeply flawed and simplistic but is also unsupported by the broader evidence on how mother tongue instruction works in learning. If Nigeria abandons mother-tongue education on this basis, the country will likely throw out the very tool that gives children a strong foundation for long- term success. The problem does not lie in mother tongue education but rather in weak implementation systems. These include inadequate teaching materials, low teacher capacity and lack of political will. Abandoning the policy is not only short-sighted, but also educational malpractice.

There is a robust body of national and international research that supports mother tongue instruction. In Nigeria itself, research underlines that proficiency in a child’s first language supports the acquisition of additional languages, following well-understood cognitive-linguistic theories. Transferability is the pivotal point that the Minister appears to have ignored. Literacy is not a secret code tied to one tongue; it’s a set of cognitive and metalinguistic skills — phonemic awareness, decoding, fluency, comprehension — that, once developed, transition to other languages. Insisting that children learn to read and think first in a language they do not understand is like asking them to build a house on sand.

The scientific foundation for Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) is robust and globally recognized. UNESCO has been a vocal proponent of early-grade instruction in a child’s mother tongue not only as a right but as a prerequisite for effective learning. Children who attain literacy in a familiar language are equipped with the transferable literacy skills required for learning in English or another language, (UNESCO, 2008) 1 . Thus, a child who first becomes literate in a language they understand builds a stronger cognitive foundation. Some defenders of the Minister will tow the familiar line: “English is the language of opportunity.” Of course, it is — and the National Language Policy 2022 has never argued otherwise. But opportunity is not advanced by denying children the cognitive scaffolding that lets them access English and other languages. An English-only start produces rote learners who can recite texts without understanding them; mother-tongue  approaches produce thinkers who can then use English as a tool. This foundation becomes a bridge, not a barrier, to educational attainment.

To be clear, proficiency in English is an undeniable asset in the global arena, and MTB-MLE ensures successful acquisition of English using mother tongue as the medium of instruction, to build a strong foundation before transitioning to it and other languages. Its approach promotes inclusive and quality education for all and helps to address social and linguistic disparities.

International research has consistently validated the MTB-MLE approach to education. Some of these include:

1. A seminal study by the University of Ife Institute of Education (now Obafemi Awolowo University), Ibadan, demonstrated that Nigerian children taught in Yoruba for the first six years performed better across all subjects, including English, by year six than their peers taught exclusively in English2.
2. UNESCO’s Global Education Monitoring Report (2023) states unequivocally: ‘Children who begin their education in their mother tongue are more likely to succeed academically and socially’3.
3. UNICEF in its ‘Policy Note’ on Foundational Learning and Language of Instruction’, emphasizes that early instruction in familiar languages improves literacy, reduces dropout rates, and fosters inclusive learning (UNICEF, 2022)4.
4. The World Bank’s 2021 report ‘Loud and Clear: Effective Language of Instruction Policies for Learning’, concluded that MTB-MLE leads to better learning outcomes and smoother transitions to second languages5.

Much research by Nigerian scholars supports the MTB-MLE approach. These include the work of the Minister’s esteemed predecessor as Federal Minister of Education, Professor Babs Fafunwa6, whose work is globally recognised. More recent research includes:

5. Patrick, J.M. et al. (2023). National Language in a Multilingual Society. University of Jos. The study found that early education in local languages enhances comprehension, retention, and cultural pride.
6. Iwuji, E. (2016). Effect of mother tongue and mathematical language on primary school pupils’ performance in mathematics. Journal of Emerging Trends in Educational Research and Policy Studies (JETERAPS), 7(1), 53-59. A research that demonstrated that language of instruction is not just an issue for literacy, but a fundamental factor in mastering Mathematics as well.

This is not a sentimental argument for cultural preservation. It is an argument in favour of evidenced- based decision-making based on research showing that learning to read in a familiar language allows a child to focus on the mechanics of literacy (decoding symbols, comprehending meaning) – without the paralysing cognitive load of simultaneously deciphering a new language. MTB-MLE allows the child to think, ask questions, and solve problems in her or his most proficient linguistic tool.

At the 2025 Language in Education International Conference, organized by the British Council in Abuja, the Minister is reported to have declared that “English is now the language of instruction in Nigerian schools from primary to tertiary levels7”. The Minister is reported to have added that “data gathered from schools across the country revealed that students taught primarily in indigenous languages recorded higher failure rates in national examinations and struggled with basic English comprehension.” But so far, neither the full dataset nor a published independent analysis has been made publicly available. Without peer-reviewed studies or transparent breakdowns (e.g., by region, by quality of implementation, by teacher training), this is a claim—and not hard proof. It is not enough to say “evidence-based governance” while refusing to show the underlying, verifiable evidence. Will the ministry publish the analysis that led to this U-turn? Will it show pilots and comparative data? Or will it simply proceed with a top-down decree that punishes the most vulnerable learners by denying them instruction they can actually use?

Language policy is not an ideological luxury; it is the lever that determines whether millions of Nigerian children leave primary school able to read, reason and take their place in a 21st-century economy. Scrapping the 2022 National Language Policy is not only at complete odds with decades of pedagogical evidence but is also a step backward — educationally, culturally and morally. It threatens to exacerbate learning poverty, widen educational inequality, and ultimately undermine our national human capital development.

Let us address the implementation challenges with the seriousness and funding they deserve, rather than jettisoning the profound benefits of the 2022 National Language Policy. Let our education policy be guided not by the path of least resistance, but by the overwhelming weight of evidence. The future cognitive development of millions of Nigerian children, and the intellectual capacity of our nation, depends on this critical choice. We can begin by taking the opportunity that AI and new technology has to offer in the arena of accelerated language learning.

To the Minister: we urge you to reverse this calamitous decision. To the National College of Education (NCE), civil society and the teaching profession: we urge you to demand the evidence that justifies this reversal, and if none exists, demand the policy be restored. Our children deserve no less.

– Hindy Mohammed – London and Abdurrahman A Abdullah  – Kano