The new National Language Policy, approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC), mandates that all pupils in Primary 1 through Primary 6 be taught in their native language.
Adamu Adamu, Nigeria’s Minister of Education, announced while briefing reporters on Wednesday the outcomes of a council meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Even though the government recognises that this will be a challenging policy to implement, he disclosed that instruction would be conducted entirely in the student’s mother tongue for the first six years of schooling and then in a bilingual format beginning in junior high.
Adamu said that while the policy has gone into effect, it will be fully implemented once the government creates appropriate educational materials and enough trained educators are hired.
He elaborated on how each school’s mother tongue would reflect the language most commonly spoken in its surrounding neighbourhood.
The Minister lamented the loss of knowledge due to the disappearance of some local languages, saying that the government is committed to preserving cultures and their unique idiosyncrasies.
He gave his word that all Nigerian languages would be given the same respect.
