Language Policy Implementation in Nigerian Public Primary Schools: Challenges for Teachers in Katsina State

This study examines the challenges faced by public primary school teachers in implementing Nigeria's language-in-education policy in Katsina State, North West Nigeria. The National Policy on Education prescribes the use of the mother tongue or predominant local language as the medium of instruction in the first three years of primary school, with a transition to English in later primary years, yet the practical implementation of this policy confronts teachers with complex linguistic, pedagogical, and institutional challenges. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 40 primary school teachers across ten schools in Katsina and Daura Local Government Areas, and classroom observation was carried out in 20 of the teachers' lessons. Data analysis employs thematic coding to identify the categories of implementation challenge most frequently reported and observed. Findings reveal that the most significant challenges include the scarcity of Hausa-medium instructional materials for key subjects, teachers' own variable competence in formal written Hausa, the resistance of some parents who prefer English-medium instruction as a mark of educational prestige, and the absence of formal training in mother-tongue medium pedagogy. Teachers also report that the transition from Hausa to English in Primary 4 is inadequately supported by curriculum guidance, leading to abrupt transitions that disadvantage students from non-literate home environments. Recommendations include the development of formal Hausa-medium instructional resources and language policy awareness campaigns targeting parents in North West Nigeria. Keywords: language policy, mother-tongue instruction, primary school, Katsina State, teacher challenges.