The Place of Arabic Language in the National Policy on Education: Implications for Nigerian Schools

Nigeria's National Policy on Education, most recently revised in 2023, makes limited explicit provision for Arabic language instruction despite its widespread use across the northern states and its status as a medium of Islamic scholarship nationally. This study analyses the place of Arabic language in Nigeria's national educational policy framework, evaluating the policy's implications for Arabic language provision in primary and secondary schools across the federation. Using a qualitative policy analysis methodology, the research subjects the National Policy on Education and its associated curriculum documents to systematic textual analysis, mapping references to Arabic, Islamic studies, and minority language instruction against the broader multilingualism policy framework. Interviews with ten education policy officials, eight curriculum developers, and twelve Arabic educators across Abuja, Lagos, and Kaduna provide stakeholder perspectives. The study finds that Arabic is treated inconsistently across the policy framework, receiving formal subject status in states with large Muslim populations while remaining invisible in the national core curriculum. This inconsistency creates significant inter-state disparities in Arabic provision, teacher training, and examination recognition. The study argues that a revised national language policy should explicitly recognise Arabic as a major literary and academic language with specific curricular provisions, particularly in view of Nigeria's demographic and regional diversity. Keywords: National Policy on Education, Arabic language, curriculum policy, multilingualism, Nigeria.