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FG makes mother tongue compulsory in primary schools

 

FG makes mother tongue compulsory in primary schools



The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved the adoption of the mother tongue as a compulsory medium of instruction in primary schools in Nigeria.

The Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, made this known on November, 30, 2022 after the Council meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Conceding the government’s knowledge that implementation will be difficult, Adamu said the mother tongue will be used exclusively for the first six years of education, while it will be combined with the English language at the Junior Secondary School level.

Though the policy has officially taken effect, full implementation will start when government develops instructional materials and qualified teachers are engaged, the Minister stated. He explained that the mother tongue to be used in each school will be the dominant language spoken by the community where the institution is located.

The Minister further stated that the government was poised to preserve the indigenous cultures and their peculiar idiosyncrasies, lamenting, however, that much has been lost due to the extinction of some local languages, just as he assured that all Nigeria languages were equal and will be treated as such.

“A memo on national policy was approved by the Council. So, Nigeria now has a National Language Policy and the details will be given later by the ministry.... One of the highlights is that the government has agreed now that henceforth, instruction in primary schools; the first six years of learning will be in the mother tongue.” 

“Theoretically, this policy starts from today but the use of the mother tongue is exclusive we need time to develop the material, get the teachers and so on. Since the first six years of school should be in the mother tongue, whereby the pupil, the language of the host community is what will be used. 

The Minister recounts that 29 Nigerian languages have gone extinct leaving 625 languages.

"We have 625 languages at the last count and the objective of this policy is to promote and enhance the cultivation and use of all Nigerian languages,” he added.

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