By Efe Onodjae

The Yoruba Studies Association Of Nigeria, has called for a renewed commitment to promoting indigenous languages in Nigeria’s educational system, emphasising that cultural preservation and improved learning outcomes depend on it.

This call came after the federal government of Nigeria reinstated English as the official language of instruction in all schools, from primary to tertiary levels.

In a statement shared with Vanguard Newspapers the group’s General Secretary Prof. Dayo Akanmu, the association urged the Federal Government to reconsider this reversal urgently.

The group said a nation that abandons the linguistic foundation of its children abandons its future.

According to the statement, Indigenous languages are not barriers to development; they are bridges, adding Nigeria must strengthen mother-tongue education, stabilise its educational policies, and embrace an approach that reflects the realities, identities, and potentials of its children.

It partly read, “In our assessment, the failure of the 2022 National Language Policy was not a failure of vision but a catastrophic failure of implementation, political will, and systemic support. From the moment of its approval, the policy was starved of the resources and structures required for success.

“There was no comprehensive national teacher training programme to equip educators with the skills to teach literacy and numeracy in indigenous languages. We also note that the monitoring and evaluation were virtually nonexistent. The Universal Basic Education Commission and state SUBEBs did not establish mechanisms to track compliance or measure learning outcomes under the new system.

“There was no national database to record which schools were using mother tongue, which languages were being taught, or how students were performing. Instead, perhaps anecdotal reports from certain regions of the countrywere weaponised to claim that the policy was being “overused.” In reality, these were isolated cases of partial compliance in a sea of nationwide neglect.”

The group condemned the reversal of the 2022 National Language Policy.

According to them, the decision disregards UNESCO’s standing, educational research, global best practices, and the linguistic rights of Nigerian children.

They advised that the solution to poor implementation is strengthening the system, not discarding the existing policy.

Commenting on the efect of the reversal, the statement further read, “The reversal of the 2022 National Language Policy, announced on November 12, 2025,will erase decades of linguistic progress. It will lead to the deepening of the literacy crisis.

“Dropout rates will soar. In rural Nigeria, where over 70% of the population resides, most children enter school speaking only their mother tongue. Teaching them in English from age 3 creates a language barrier that masquerades as intellectual deficiency.

“The cultural consequences are equally dire. Nigeria’s indigenous languages are not just communication tools; they are repositories of history, philosophy, and identity. The cultural alienation this would breed is profound: a nation of young people disconnected from their roots, vulnerable to identity crises, and less equipped to contribute to national cohesion, among others.”