Evaluating Bilingual Education Outcomes in French and English at Federal Government Colleges in Nigeria

The bilingual education model adopted for Federal Government Colleges in Nigeria aspires to develop students who can function academically and professionally in both English and French, yet empirical evaluation of its outcomes relative to these aspirations has not been conducted at national scale. This study evaluates bilingual education outcomes in French and English at Federal Government Colleges across the six geopolitical zones, comparing language proficiency, academic achievement, and bilingual identity outcomes against programme design expectations. A comparative educational research design was employed, with standardised English and French proficiency tests, academic record data, and bilingual identity surveys administered to 840 students in their final year across twelve Federal Government Colleges. Quasi-experimental comparison with non-bilingual secondary school students was made where matched school samples permitted. Results show that Federal Government College students outperform comparable non-Federal-Government-College students on French proficiency measures in five of six geopolitical zones, confirming a programme effect on French language development. However, French proficiency levels remained below B2 in the majority of tested students, falling short of the functional bilingualism goal. English academic performance showed no significant difference between bilingual and non-bilingual school students, dispelling concerns about English academic language interference. Students in Federal Government Colleges with higher proportions of qualified French staff showed the strongest French proficiency outcomes. Bilingual identity scales revealed limited francophone cultural identification, with French viewed primarily instrumentally. The study provides the first nationally comparative evaluation of Federal Government College bilingual outcomes. Keywords: bilingual education, Federal Government Colleges, English-French bilingualism, language outcomes, Nigeria