From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
The Federal Executive Council (FEC), presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari, has approved a new National Language Policy which makes mother tongue a compulsory medium of instruction from Primary 1 to 6.
Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, disclosed this while briefing State House Correspondents, yesterday.
Though he acknowledged that government was aware the implementation would be challenging, he, nevertheless, revealed that for the first six years of education, mother tongue would be the only medium of instruction, and it would then be combined with English in junior secondary school.
Adamu said even though the policy has officially taken effect, it can only be fully implemented when government develops instructional materials and qualified teachers are available.
He said the mother tongue to be used in each school would be the dominant language spoken by the community where it is located.
The minister lamented that so much has been lost due to the extinction of some local languages and stated that government is determined to preserve cultures and their particular quirks.
He assured all Nigeria languages are equal and would be treated as such.
The minister said the decision is only in principle for now because it will require a lot of work to implement it.
“Theoretically, this policy starts from today and the use of mother tongue is exclusive but 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, the language of the host community is what will be used.
“Because 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 said.
Adamu said the council also approved consultancy services agreement between Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and a private company, for the upgrade of the portal on which the board records candidates seeking admission into higher institutions of learning.