Yorùbá in south-west Nigerian primary schools in the context of the National Policy on Education

Abstract

Studies on primary schools and language policy implementation showed that only a few schools in Nigeria adhered to the stipulated language policy. Therefore, the study examines the extent to which Yorùbá (the mother tongue) vis-a-vis English and Pidgin was used as a medium of instruction at lower primary schools, and, also, the extent to which Yorùbá vis-a-vis foreign languages (Arabic, English, and French) was taught as a subject at upper primary schools. This study involved 705 teachers from south-western primary schools. A questionnaire with a reliability index of 0.74, classroom observation, and a focus group discussion schedule was used for data collection. The mean and standard deviation scores were used to establish the scope of language use. The findings revealed that Yorùbá was used as a medium of teaching to a very little extent (2.29), English to some extent (4.36), whereas Pidgin was not significantly used (1.43). The research has shown that the status of “little extent” is also attributed to Yorùbá-English code-switching. The study concluded that Yorùbá as a medium of instruction is not exclusively implemented at lower primaries but actively taught as a subject at upper primary schools.