The Federal Executive Council on Wednesday approved a new National Language Policy.
The NLP makes mother tongue a compulsory medium of instruction from Primary 1 to 6.
The Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, revealed this while briefing State House correspondents shortly after this week’s Federal Executive Council meeting chaired by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja.
Adamu further revealed that mother tongue would be used exclusively for the first six years of education after which it would be combined with English language from Junior Secondary School 1.
He noted that the FG was aware that implementing this section of the new NLP would be difficult.
Therefore, even though the policy has officially taken effect, the FG will develop instructional materials and employ qualified teachers to fully implement it.
He added that the most dominant language spoken by the host community would determine the mother tongue to be used in each school.
Adamu, who lamented that so many languages were on the brink of extinction, said the FG was resolute in preserving cultures and their peculiar idiosyncrasies.
All Nigerian languages are equal and will be treated as such, he said.
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