The Nigerian government has announced the end of a controversial policy that required primary school students to learn in their mother tongue.

Education Minister Tunji Alausa said the program, which was implemented three years ago, had failed to meet its objectives and would no longer be used.

Instead, English will be used as the medium of instruction from pre-school to higher education, he said.

The now-repealed policy of requiring children to learn in their mother tongue was implemented by former Education Minister Adamu Adamu, who argued that children learn better in their mother tongue.

Adamu said that children can more easily understand concepts when they are "taught in their mother tongue."

This former minister's idea has been supported by several studies conducted by the United Nations on pre-primary education.

Nigeria's education system is plagued by poor quality of education, inadequate teaching materials, low teacher salaries, and frequent school strikes.