The Federal Executive Council at its meeting on Wednesday approved a new National Language Policy which makes the use of mother tongue a compulsory medium of instruction from Primary 1 to 6 in Nigeria.
The Nigerian Minister of Education, Alhaji Adamu Adamu made the division public while briefing State House Correspondents on the outcome of the weekly Council meeting presided over by President Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Under the new policy, mother tongue will be used exclusively for the first six years of education while it will be combined with English language from Junior Secondary School, but the Education Minister concedes that the implementation will pose a challenge.
Adamu explained that even though the policy has officially taken effect, it can however only be fully implemented when government develops instructional materials and qualified teachers are available in order to achieve a seem less transitions.
He explained that the mother tongue to be used in each school will be the dominant language spoken by the community where it is located.
The Minster who lamented that so much has been lost as a result of the extinction of some local languages, said government is concerned on preserving cultures and their peculiar traits, assuring that all Nigerian languages are equal and will be treated as such.
