New Horizons in the Use of Nigerian Indigenous Languages in Education

Abstract

This paper traces the issue of language in education to the inception of human civilisation, with particular reference to Nigeria, through the colonial days to the present time. It examines the policy statements of the Nigerian government pertaining to language use in school instruction in the light of the obvious challenges of modern education which indigenous Nigerian languages will have to face in order to maintain their relevance in Nigerian education. The paper highlights some major problems which include lack of government will/commitment to implementation of its policies and people’s negative attitudes to their languages, as major obstacles confronting the use of Nigerian languages as media of instruction in schools. The prospects that the use of indigenous languages holds for Nigeria is discussed while suggestions towards making language policy workable are offered.