By Adesina Wahab

The Fafunwa Educational Foundation (FEF) has expressed deep concern over the Federal Government of Nigeria’s decision to reverse the policy mandating the use of mother tongue as the primary languages of instruction in early basic education.

According to the body, the policy reversal by the FG would do more harm than good to education in the country.

In a statement by Sheri Fafunwa-Ndibe and Muyiwa Obiyomi on behalf of the board, FEF faulted the claim that the reversal of the policy was due to poor performance in public examinations by students from the regions that implemented it.

The external examinations listed by the FG included those conducted by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), the National Examinations Council (NECO), and the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).

“The Fafunwa Educational Foundation (FEF) regards this conclusion as hasty and unfounded. While academic performance has declined nationally, decades of research do not support the claim that mother-tongue instruction is to blame. On the contrary, extensive evidence shows that children learn
best in the language they understand most naturally.

“This reality was demonstrated in the landmark Ife Primary Education Research Project (1970–1978), led by the late Professor Aliu Babatunde Fafunwa, founder of the Foundation. Pupils taught in Yoruba achieved
stronger literacy, numeracy, and overall comprehension than peers taught initially in English—and later outperformed them in external examinations, including English. Similar findings by scholars such as Professor Babatunde Ipaye and international experience from countries including Japan, China, Spain, Portugal, and Israel further strengthen this consensus.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) also consistently affirms that children taught in their mother tongue show significantly higher reading comprehension by the end of primary and lower secondary school.

“The challenges Nigeria has faced with the policy stem from weak implementation—particularly inadequate funding, insufficient teacher training, and lack of instructional materials—not from flaws in the concept of mother-tongue education itself. A major reform cannot succeed without proper investment and planning.

“Concerns that Nigeria lacks enough teachers fluent in indigenous languages only highlight the need for capacity building, not policy abandonment. No country becomes “ready” for reform by reversing it. Likewise, the fact that examinations by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the Joint
Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) are conducted in English does not undermine the value of early mother-tongue instruction. Children are taught English as a subject and, as evidence shows, those who start in their first language ultimately perform better in English and other subjects.

“The Fafunwa Educational Foundation (FEF) therefore urges the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to reinstate the mother tongue policy. Reversing it undermines Nigeria’s cultural and linguistic heritage and reinforces harmful assumptions about the inferiority of indigenous languages.

“Instead of retreating, the government should work with state and local authorities, research institutions, university language departments, the Nigerian Academy of Letters (NAL), and other stakeholders to strengthen indigenous languages as effective tools of instruction.

Language is not merely a medium of learning; it carries culture, identity, and history. “Strengthening mother-tongue education is both an educational necessity and a cultural responsibility. Current challenges are reasons to improve implementation—not reasons to abandon a proven policy that supports learning, equity, and long-term academic success.”