Nigeria to abolish English language for teaching in primary schools

Nigeria has announced a policy aimed at promoting the teaching of primary school pupils in local languages rather than in English.

The new framework known as the National Language Policy had been approved for implementation, education minister Adamu Adamu told journalists on Wednesday (November 30).

In the new policy, instruction for the first six years in primary schools will be in the mother tongue.

English is Nigeria's official language and all learning institutions use it as the common language of teaching and learning.

However, the education minister says “pupils learn much better” when they are taught in their own mother tongue.

The education minister acknowledged that implementing the new policy would be challenging because it would “require a lot of work to develop materials to teach and get the teachers”.

Another challenge is the number of languages spoken in Nigeria - more than 600.

It’s not immediately clear when the government will start implementing the new system.