An Investigation into the Teaching of Hausa Language at Primary School Level in Zamfara State

The effective teaching of Hausa as both a mother tongue and subject of formal instruction at primary school level is critical to literacy development and cultural preservation in North West Nigeria. This study investigates the teaching of Hausa language at primary school level in Zamfara State, examining teacher qualification, pedagogical methods, instructional materials, and learner outcomes. A descriptive survey design was employed, with data collected from 180 primary school Hausa teachers across six local government areas in Zamfara through structured questionnaires and classroom observation. School records on teacher qualifications and pupil performance in Hausa were reviewed, and 12 school headteachers were interviewed on curriculum implementation challenges. Findings reveal that a significant proportion of primary school Hausa teachers in Zamfara lack formal training in Hausa language pedagogy, relying instead on general teacher education without subject specialisation. Instructional materials are frequently outdated, with many schools using textbooks predating current curriculum reviews. Pupil outcomes in Hausa reading and writing are below national benchmarks in the majority of sampled schools. The study further identifies large class sizes, inadequate infrastructure, and teachers' own limited Hausa literacy competencies as compounding barriers to effective instruction. Recommendations include priority deployment of Hausa language specialists to rural primary schools, revision and wider distribution of current Hausa primary textbooks, and introduction of peer teaching strategies to maximise available human resources. Keywords: Hausa language teaching, Primary school, Zamfara, Pedagogy, Literacy.