The Conundrum of Language-of-Instruction Policy in 21st-Century Nigerian Education: A Constructive Critique of the Mother-Tongue Cancellation

Abstract

Language-of-instruction (LoI) policies in post-colonial, multilingual nations like Nigeria represent a volatile intersection of cognitive science, political economy, socio-cultural preservation, and global competitiveness. This article presents a comprehensive theoretical and constructive critique of the landmark November 2025 decision by the Federal Government of Nigeria to completely scrap the mother-tongue teaching policy and reinstate English as the sole language of instruction across the basic education system. Formally pronounced by the Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, during the 69th National Council on Education (NCE) meeting in Akure, Ondo State in October, 2025. This strategic pivot was driven by alarming empirical drops in baseline literacy and mass failure rates in standardized regional examinations (WAEC, NECO, JAMB) across regions that heavily relied on native language instruction. While pedagogical orthodoxy—heavily supported by classical UNESCO (1953) tenets—maintains that early concept formation is optimized via a child's first language (L1), this paper analyzes the structural breakdowns, multi-lingual urban dynamics, and parent-driven economic pressures that rendered the previous mandate unworkable. Utilizing verified press reportage from major Nigerian dailies (Punch, Vanguard, EduCeleb), this paper examines the 21st-century realities of a digitized knowledge economy that demand early English immersion. Ultimately, a constructive paradigm is proposed: rather than falling back on rigid, un-scaffolded English drills that risk perpetuating rote-memorization chanting cultures, Nigerian basic classrooms must institutionalize translanguaging and pedagogical scaffolding to preserve cognitive integrity while simultaneously engineering globally competitive human capital.