Language Policy in Nigeria: Mismatch or Flows in Policy Implementation in Nigerian Schools.
The elevation and status of the English language has been saddled with numerous criticisms and
condemnations. Opponents see the language as elitist in nature, having the tendency of excluding the
majority of Nigerians from involvement in, and participation in national issues that concern them.
In our education setting, they argue that academic underachievement in Nigeria is traceable to failure to
comprehend teaching concepts owing to linguistic deficiencies. Fudor, in this regard establishes the
relationship between thinking and linguistic abilities. He notes that “there is a medium in which we
think, and of course it is a language” . This implies that the English think in English, the Hausas think in
Hausa, the Yorubas in Yoruba and the Ibos in Igbo.
Supporters of the use of the English language as our official language, the lingua franca and the medium
of instruction in schools base their arguments on the fact that the use of the English language engenders
mutual understanding, co-operation and peace in a country bedeviled with too many ethno-political
problems. They see it as neutral and has the capacity to be accepted by all as a national language more
than any other indigenous
language. They also remind their critics that the majority of Nigerian indigenous languages are still in the
process of language engineering while some are yet to be codified.
Encouraging the use of the mother tongue does not negate the importance of the English Language in
creating a connection with the rest of the global community. However, Nigeria also needs to gain from
the widespread opportunities that investment in its numerous indigenous languages could bring. Nigeria
has had a lot to show from using English language, especially in literary endeavours and entertainment
with great authors and actors that earn global recognition, with these individuals demonstrating a
mastery of not just the English Language but their mother tongue.
Multilingual education has strong bearing with Nigeria’s greatness in literary and creative endeavour
across generations. The literary achievements of Achebe with Things Fall Apart as the 5th on the BBC’s
ranking of 100 stories that shaped the world in 2019 and Soyinka’s pioneering Laureate from Africa since
1986 are significantly attributable to elements of multilingual education that give both personalities
strong footing in their mother tongue and English. Nigeria can learn a lot from India in this regard from
the management of its numerous indigenous languages side-by-side with the English Language.
The NERDC acknowledges that some challenges are expected in implementing the National Language
Policy – lack of political will and awareness, teacher shortages and capacity, mismatch of teachers’
dialects to the dialect of the community, and dearth of curricula and resources. Notwithstanding,
Nigeria can leverage the resources (teacher guides, pupils’ books, training manuals, research outputs,
assessments etc) on learning in the mother tongue already developed through the effort of international
development partners, with positive results being recorded in some parts of the country. February 21 is
therefore a call to action for the government to invest in the implementation of the Nigeria Language
Policy with emphasis on its provision for learning in the Mother Tongue or language of immediate
community particularly at the foundational stages (ECCDE – Primary 4) by re(training) of teachers to
teach in indigenous languages, development of materials in local languages (text books, story books,
dictionaries) as well as advocacy with parents and communities to understand and support the
initiatives. In order to fully realize the benefits of education in the mother tongue, it is essential for
policymakers and educators to recognize the importance of language as a tool for learning and
development.
Reference
https://planenigeria.com/language-and-nigerias-learning-crisis-implementing-the-national-language-
policy/
