China, India prove mother-tongue teaching works – Otti

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Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has argued that Nigeria can learn from China and India, where children are taught in indigenous languages without compromising their educational and developmental progress.

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He also described as exaggerated the fears surrounding the use of indigenous languages to pass classroom instructions to children at the early stages of education.

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Otti spoke on Wednesday at the 24th Annual Lecture/Symposium of the Fafunwa Educational Foundation and the 19th Annual Post-Doctoral Awards in Education held at the MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos.

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The governor premised his argument on research that had shown that children learn better when taught in indigenous languages, as well as the fact that children in China, India and South Korea suffer no disadvantage from learning in their indigenous languages.

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Recall that in November 2025, the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, announced that the Federal Government had reversed the 2022 National Language Policy, which stipulated that the language of instruction from early childhood to Primary Six should be the mother tongue or the language of the immediate community.

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Alausa said English would now be the language of instruction in Nigerian schools from primary through tertiary levels.

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The minister hinged the decision on challenges posed by Nigeria’s regional linguistic disparities, adding that there was a dissonance as exams were conducted in English, while children were taught through their mother tongue.

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Speaking at Wednesday’s event, Otti urged policymakers to address the challenges associated with using local languages rather than rejecting the approach.

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He acknowledged that concerns about the approach were real but said Nigeria could learn from countries where early education was driven by indigenous languages.

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Otti said, “The fears, I have to admit, are real, but we may also have to look at a few countries where early education is driven by indigenous languages, including South Korea, India and China.

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“In so doing, we may learn a few lessons from the success they have achieved over the years.”

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The governor said examining the experiences of the three countries could also offer insight into the relationship between indigenous-language education and their economic and technological development.

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He added, “My position would be that if children and professionals in China suffer no disadvantage from learning in Mandarin, just like their counterparts in India or South Korea who started their learning in indigenous languages, then the fears against the use of indigenous languages for early-stage education in this part of the world may be exaggerated at best.”

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He praised the Fafunwa Educational Foundation for keeping alive the compelling findings of the Ife six-year primary education project by Prof Fafunwa, which proved that children learn better when taught in indigenous languages.

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“While it is fine to disagree with the findings of a research work, it is, however, not acceptable to reject a viewpoint for the simple reason that agreeing with the facts challenges individual biases and ego,” he said.

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Otti said possible limitations, including a shortage of teachers fluent in indigenous languages and the limited relevance of some languages beyond their communities or regions, should be identified and addressed.

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Keynote speaker, Prof Francis Egbokhare of the University of Ibadan, said Nigeria’s challenge in implementing indigenous language instruction was not the concept itself but inadequate preparation, including teacher training, learning materials and proper assessment.

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He said research had established the benefits of teaching children through indigenous languages in the early years, arguing that the focus should now be on addressing the practical challenges of implementation.

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Egbokhare said, “Nigeria’s first challenge is an implementation problem. It’s not simply a conceptualisation problem.”

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According to him, the fundamental questions should be which language a child would learn best through, what language the teacher would use if it was different from the child’s own language, and how teachers and pupils would be assessed.

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He also raised concerns about the availability of textbooks and other learning materials for subjects such as mathematics, science and technology in indigenous languages.

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He said teacher training was equally important, warning that the mere use of indigenous languages without preparing teachers pedagogically could undermine the policy.

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The don also cautioned against using isolated evidence to conclude that mother-tongue instruction produced poor academic outcomes, saying other factors, including teacher education and learning materials, had to be considered.

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“Correlation is not the same as cause. It’s basic statistics,” he said, referring to the evidence of poor performance in the northern part of the country cited by the education minister for the reversal.

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The linguist stressed that promoting indigenous languages did not mean abandoning English, which he described as necessary, but argued that children should first develop strong cognitive foundations before being introduced to English at the appropriate stage.

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“Education does not mean abandoning English,” Egbokhare said.

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He argued that introducing children to a language different from that spoken at home could create confusion and affect learning, particularly among children in rural communities.

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He said language should not be treated merely as a vehicle for teaching, arguing that it was closely linked to children’s understanding of concepts and their realities.

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The don said Nigeria’s linguistic diversity should also be properly understood before implementing a uniform approach, noting that the country had hundreds of languages and that patterns of bilingualism and language use varied across communities.

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He therefore called for better data on the country’s linguistic composition to guide policy.

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Egbokhare also urged the use of digital technology and artificial intelligence to address some of the logistical challenges associated with developing indigenous-language teaching materials.

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He said Nigerian universities should play a greater role in developing indigenous languages and producing the expertise needed to support their use in education.

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According to him, preserving indigenous languages is not merely a cultural issue but one linked to education, identity and national development.

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He said, “It’s a question of survival. If we don’t use and create a country where we can integrate, where we can compete, if we can allow our children to grow up using their talents as God has endowed them, none of that can be a matter of competence.”

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He urged policymakers to approach indigenous-language education as a strategic issue requiring proper planning, teacher preparation, materials development and technological support.

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Speaking, Permanent Secretary, Lagos Ministry of Tertiary Education, Adeniran Kasali, also backed the idea of the use of mother tongue for early education.

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“No nation develops without supporting its local content,” he said.

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Guest Speaker, Prof Angelina Kioko of the United States International University, Nairobi, observed that there was a lot of code-switching in African settings even when mother tongue was mandated as the medium of instruction.

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She also blamed the lack of capacity of teachers, non-development of instructional materials in indigenous languages and poor implementation of policy as the bane of the use of mother tongue in classrooms in Africa.

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“Do you also develop print/digital learning materials?” she asked.

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In her brief remarks, Doris Fafunwa, who served as Mother of the Day, spoke of how the late Babs Fafunwa worked for the common good, for the interests of the majority.

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“He believed in Nigeria and never gave up on Nigeria,” Fafunwa said.

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The event also featured discussions on the use of mother tongue by Prof A. A. Adeyinka of the University of Ibadan, Dr Ebele Okafor of the University of Lagos and Dr Hamisu Aliyu of the Federal College of Education, Abeokuta.

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There was also a presentation of post-doctoral awards in education to Dr Ogunwole Ayodeji of the Lagos State University, Dr Tomi Ogundipe of the University of Ibadan and Dr Ishola Joshua of the Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti.

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