Language Policy in the Primary School: A Re-Examination of Practice in Selected Private and Public Schools in Oyo State, Nigeria

Abstract

Nigeria’s National Policy on Education stipulates that the language of immediate environment should be used for the first three years of primary education in all subjects, except during English language periods. Extant literature is replete with proofs that this would enable the child to have a good grasp of language for thought and subsequent proficiency in acquisition of skills and academic studies. This paper is a report of the writer’s observation of selected public as well as private schools’ classroom instruction at the early primary school level. This was in order to assess the teachers’ rates of compliance with the stipulation. It was found that majority of the teachers, especially in the private schools, do not comply with the policy, whereas the public schoolteachers’ compliance goes beyond the prescription as the language of the environment is used to teach even English language as a subject up to the end of the sixth year. Based on the findings, suggestions are made as to ensuring remarkable uniformity of compliance.