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By Gabriel Dike
The Fafunwa Educational Foundation (FEF) has expressed deep concern over the Federal Government decision to reverse the policy mandating the use of mother tongues as the primary languages of instruction in early basic education.
The Minister for Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, attributed the reversal to poor examination performance in regions that implemented the policy, citing results from the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), the National Examinations Council (NECO), and the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).
A statement signed by Sheri Fafunwa-Ndibe for the Board Trustees and Muyiwa Obiyomi, Secretary of FEF regarded the Minister’s conclusion as hasty and unfounded.
Both noted that academic performance has declined nationally, decades of research do not support the claim that mother-tongue instruction is to blame, adding, “on the contrary, extensive evidence shows that children learn best in the language they understand most naturally.
“This reality was demonstrated in the landmark Ife Primary Education Research Project (1970–1978), led by the late Prof. Aliu Babatunde Fafunwa, founder of the Foundation. Pupils taught in Yoruba achieved stronger literacy, numeracy, and overall comprehension than peers taught initially in English—and later outperformed them in external examinations, including English.
“Similar findings by scholars such as Prof. Babatunde Ipaye and international experience from countries including Japan, China, Spain, Portugal, and Israel further strengthen this consensus. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) also consistently affirms that children taught in their mother tongue show significantly higher reading comprehension by the end of primary and lower secondary school.”
The foundation observed that the challenges Nigeria has faced with the policy stem from weak implementation, particularly inadequate funding, insufficient teacher training, and lack of instructional materials, not from flaws in the concept of mother-tongue education itself.
The FEF said a major reform cannot succeed without proper investment and planning.
“Concerns that Nigeria lacks enough teachers fluent in indigenous languages only highlight the need for capacity building, not policy abandonment. No country becomes “ready” for reform by reversing it. Likewise, the fact that examinations by the WAEC and JAMB are conducted in English does not undermine the value of early mother-tongue instruction.
“Children are taught English as a subject and, as evidence shows, those who start in their first language ultimately perform better in English and other subjects,” the FEF noted.
The foundation urged the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to reinstate the mother tongue policy, insisting that reversing it undermines Nigeria’s cultural and linguistic heritage and reinforces harmful assumptions about the inferiority of indigenous languages.
According to FEF, instead of retreating, the government should work with state and local authorities, research institutions, university language departments, the Nigerian Academy of Letters (NAL), and other stakeholders to strengthen indigenous languages as effective tools of instruction.
The FEF argued “Language is not merely a medium of learning; it carries culture, identity, and history. Strengthening mother-tongue education is both an educational necessity and a cultural responsibility. Current challenges are reasons to improve implementation, not reasons to abandon a proven policy that supports learning, equity, and long-term academic success,” FEF noted.
