ABSTRACT

The aimandobjectivesofthisresearchistoidentify the implications for implementingthenationalpolicy on Educationinmultilingualcountrieswithspecial reference tothe Nigeriansituations.Theoriesof multilingualismandlanguageplanning were discussed. Five research questionswere formulated toguidethe study.DuetothelinguisticpluralityofNigeria,theNationalPolicyonEducation(NPE,2004)assigneddifferent functiontothemany languagesinthenation’seducation.Theoutcomeofthisisthatmorethanonelanguageis usedbothintheclassroom andthecourseofachild’seducationespecially intheprimaryand lower secondary schools. This paperexamined thecurrent practice ofmultilingualeducation in Nigerian primary and lower secondary schools and thechallengesencounteredby teachersin the implementation of theNPE.Questionnaireswereadministeredto answerresearch questions onthefollowingvariables –students’ attitude,parentalfactorsandlack ofmaterials.

Key words: Multilingualism, Language, Education, National Policy,