Investigating French Language Policy Implementation in Federal Government Colleges in the North-East Geopolitical Zone

Federal Government Colleges are designated as bilingual institutions under Nigeria's National Policy on Education, with the expectation that French will be taught and used as a medium of instruction in specified subjects. The degree to which this policy is implemented in Federal Government Colleges in the North-East geopolitical zone remains inadequately documented. This study investigates French language policy implementation in six Federal Government Colleges across Bauchi, Gombe, and Taraba States. A mixed methods design was adopted, with structured questionnaires administered to 148 students and semi-structured interviews conducted with twelve French teachers and six school principals. Document analysis of lesson plans, timetables, and school improvement plans provided supplementary data. Results reveal a significant gap between stated policy and classroom reality, with none of the six colleges using French as a medium of instruction in any non-French subject. French timetabling was consistent, though lesson quality was constrained by teacher under-qualification, with only two of twelve French teachers holding bachelor's degrees in French. Student attitudes toward French were neutral to mildly positive but did not reflect an understanding of the bilingual school mandate. Principals expressed awareness of the policy but cited resource constraints as the primary barrier to full implementation. The study recommends an urgent audit of bilingual policy implementation across all Federal Government Colleges and targeted professional development for North-East French teachers. Keywords: French language policy, Federal Government Colleges, North-East Nigeria, bilingual education, implementation