ISSN 1923-1555[Print] ISSN 1923-1563[Online] www.cscanada.net www.cscanada.org Studies in Literature and Language Vol. 4, No. 3, 2012, pp. 8-14 DOI:10.3968/j.sll.1923156320120403.1230 8 Copyright © Canadian Academy of Oriental and Occidental Culture Language Policy and Minority Language Education in Nigeria: Cross River State Educational Experience Roseline I. Ndimele [a],* [a] Department of Linguistics and Communication Studies, Abia State University, Uturu, Nigeria. * Corresponding author. Received 20 April 2012; accepted 23 May 2012. Abstract The politics of language is a very sensitive issue in Nigeria as language can hardly be detached from the apron strings of the people’s senses of identity and loyalty. This paper examines the concept of language policy and planning in Nigeria and its implication for education in the minority languages, with emphasis on the languages of Cross River State. The study discovers that there is no robust and well-articulated language planning framework in the country but only a language provision of the National Policy on Education (NPE). This reinforces the operation of language in education planning process, which unfortunately does not guarantee or strengthen literacy in the indigenous languages especially the so- called minority languages of Nigeria. The paper goes ahead to recommend the development of a functional and articulate language policy framework which can arrest the imminent crisis of endangerment and extinction of the indigenous languages in Cross River State. Key words: Minority language education; Cross River State; Nigeria; Language policy; Extinction of languages Roseline I. Ndimele (2012). Language Policy and Minority Language Education in Nigeria: Cross River State Educational Experience. Studies in Literature and Language , 4 (3), 8-14. Available from URL: http://www. cscanada.net/index.php/sll/article/view/j.sll.1923156320120403.1230 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3968/j.sll.1923156320120403.1230 INTRODUCTION There is no comprehensive census on Nigerian languages to date but there are varying accounts of the number of languages spoken in Nigeria by linguists and language experts based on approximations and estimations. Grimes (1996) puts the fgure at 515, Blench and Crozier (1992) agreed on 440, Bendor-Samuel and Standford (1976) enumerated 394 among others. Out of this number, only 36 have approved orthographies while the development of orthographies for another 6 is on-going (based on the figures released by the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC). The implication is that these 36 are the only languages with the prospects of literacy, literature and cultural expression. In spite of this potential, it is discovered that only a handful, possibly. Yoruba, Igbo, and Hausa and a few others are actually languages of education in most Nigerian schools. In Cross River, a South Eastern State where this study in concerned, where over forty languages are spoken, only, one, Efk is taught, not as a medium of instruction but merely as a curriculum subject in a section of the state where it is spoken as the language of the immediate environment. Many other ‘small’ languages are on the verge of extinction given the problem of absence of social transmission and the impact of globalization and the new information/communication technology. In this paper, we examine the concepts of language policy and planning and situate them in the context of the minority indigenous languages in education, using the languages of Cross River State as our reference point. In the discussion that follows, we examine the language situation in Nigeria from the perspective of Nigeria languages in education.