Steps to Re-Address Mother Tongue as a Medium of Instruction at Lower Level of Education in Nigeria

Abstract

The Mother Tongue(MT) is the language that the child came into contact with in life, it is through the Mother Tongue that the child establishes relationship with the immediate environment, the MT serves as a channel through which societal norms values and aspirations are transmitted to the younger ones. Little wonder, the National Language Policy (NLP) emphasises the importance of using Mother Tongue as medium of instruction at lower level of education, that is at pre-primary and primary school level, the policy also makes the study of indigenous languages a subject of study at higher level of both primary and
secondary schools. It is in recognition of the importance of Mother Tongue in Nigeria that the paper discusses steps to follow in re-addressing Mother Tongue as medium of instruction at lower level of education in Nigeria. In order to achieve this, there should be a clear guideline on Nigerian Language Policy in which and at what level the teaching of Mother Tongue shall be used and at what level it will end. This will enhance and improve the level to which indigenous languages are used as medium of instruction at primary and secondary schools in Nigeria.