Nigeria’s Minister of Education, Dr. Adamu Adamu, has announced that the Federal Executive Council has approved the new National Language Policy, which makes various mother tongues in the country compulsory medium of instruction from primary one to six.
Dr. Adamu told journalists after the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting on Wednesday in Abuja that the “the policy takes immediate effect”.
The Minister disclosed that about 29 local languages in the country have become extinct and that the country is left with about with 625 languages.
Although the Minister admitted the implementation of the new language policy will face some challenges, but he insisted that it was necessary to promote the cultivation and use of all Nigerian languages.
He explained that the implementation of the new policy will involve the use of mother tongue exclusively for the first six years of the child’s education, while the use of English language will be introduced from Junior Secondary School level in addition to the mother tongue or local language.
The Minister disclosed that the government will ensure that qualified teachers are available, while instructional materials are produced for the smooth implementation of the new policy.
Presently, a similar policy, which requires a student in any Nigerian secondary school to offer one out of the three major Nigerian languages – Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba for the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination.
GIK/APA