Why English Language Proficiency Is the Foundation of Every Subject

In fifteen years of teaching English, the most consistent observation I have made is this: a student’s English language ability is the single best predictor of their performance across every other subject. Not because English is more important than Mathematics or Biology — but because English is the medium through which all of them are taught and examined in Nigeria.

The Hidden English Problem

I have read examination scripts from Nigerian students who clearly understood the Biology or Economics content they were being tested on — but could not express that understanding in English clearly enough to earn the marks they deserved. This is a tragedy that is almost entirely preventable.

When a student loses marks in History because they wrote “the war make many people dead” instead of “the war resulted in significant loss of life” — those lost marks are not a History problem. They are an English problem. And English, unlike History content, can be improved with consistent daily practice regardless of formal teaching.

Practical Ways to Improve Your English Daily

Read one English newspaper article every day. Read it with a dictionary. Look up every word you do not know. Write the new word in a vocabulary notebook with its meaning and a sentence you create yourself using it.

Write one page of English every day. About anything — your day, an opinion, a summary of something you read. Writing forces you to find the right words. Over months, this builds a fluency that reading alone cannot achieve.

Listen to well-produced English content. BBC World Service, quality Nigerian radio programmes in English, audiobooks. Listening trains your ear for correct grammar and natural sentence structure in a way that no grammar exercise can fully replicate.

Practise writing examination-style answers in English for every subject. Not just for English Language — for Biology, Economics, Government, Geography. Force yourself to express your content knowledge in clear, complete English sentences. This is what WAEC and NECO will ask you to do.

A Note on Pidgin and Mother Tongue

I am not suggesting that English is superior to Nigerian languages or that Pidgin has no value — quite the opposite. Multilingualism is a genuine cognitive advantage. But in the specific context of Nigerian secondary school examinations and the academic world beyond them, Standard English is the currency. Building proficiency in it does not diminish your mother tongue. It adds a powerful tool to an already rich linguistic repertoire.

Dr Ayobami Gideon Babalola

Founder, BAG Foundation · Educator · DBA · Author (A. G. Babs)

15+ years teaching experience across Nigeria and China. Founder of the BAG Foundation.