Mother Tongue

By Uzair Adam

The Federal Government has called on stakeholders in the National Council on Education (NCE) to approve the reversal of the mother tongue policy, which mandates teaching in indigenous languages from Primary One to Six.

Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, made the appeal on Thursday during the 2025 Extraordinary National Council on Education Meeting in Abuja.

Ahmad urged the council to review the national education policy, limiting the use of mother tongue to Early Childhood Care Development and Education (ECCDE) and Primary One.

It was gathered that the NCE previously advocated for mother tongue instruction in the first three years of primary education to preserve Nigerian languages and strengthen foundational learning.

However, the Federal Executive Council approved full implementation in November 2022. Highlighting challenges affecting the policy’s execution, Ahmad pointed to inconsistencies in enforcement, particularly in urban areas where English is the dominant language.

She also cited Nigeria’s linguistic diversity—boasting over 500 languages—as a barrier to effective implementation.

Additionally, she noted the limited availability of instructional materials as a hindrance.

“In multilingual communities, selecting a dominant language is challenging,” she said. “Coupled with a shortage of instructional materials, the policy faces significant setbacks.”

Meanwhile, Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, proposed integrating secondary education into the basic education framework, extending compulsory schooling to 12 years.

He explained that this aligns with global best practices and Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4), which promotes inclusive and equitable quality education.

“By making secondary education part of basic education, students will enjoy uninterrupted learning up to age 16, reducing dropout rates caused by financial and systemic barriers,” Alausa stated.

He further advocated for converting Federal Science and Technical Colleges (FSTCs) into Federal Technical Colleges (FTCs) to equip young Nigerians with practical skills suited to a technologically evolving world.

The meeting, attended by education commissioners from all 36 states and the FCT, also discussed the integration of a 16-year minimum admission age policy for tertiary institutions to standardize entry requirements.

By Aisha Abdullahi Bello

As the principal of a renowned private school here in Kano, I am saddled with many responsibilities, from managing the school’s activities to attending to visitors, sometimes from the ministry, other times parents of our students. This goes on and on and on throughout the term till the end.

On one of such tiring occasions, after the day’s work, I was trekking home as usual (I don’t have a car) when I saw some middle-aged men, most probably in their late 30’s conversing. At first, what they were discussing was incoherent. But as I walked closer to where they were seated, I began to get a grasp of what they were arguing about.

The conversation goes thus: you ‘Ausa’ (Hausa) men don’t know ‘au’ to pronounce English words, says one of the two men who looks just like a Yoruba man. This word ear (here) is ‘ferry’ and not ‘berry’, he adds with all seriousness.

The other guy, who is undoubtedly a Hausa man, then replies by saying,’ you are the ones who do not know how to fronounce (pronounce) English words correctly. Look, says the Hausa man, the word is pronounced ‘berry’ and not ‘ferry’.

As curious as I am, maybe due to my position as a teacher, I went close to them demanding to see the word which is the bone of contention that resulted in the heated debate. Lo! And Behold! The actual word they were all referring to is ‘Very’

Aisha Abdullahi Bello teaches English at Kuntau Science Academy, Kano. She could be reached via: aishaabdullahibello@gmail.com.