Professor Kofi Agyekum, Head of the Department of Linguistics at the University of Ghana, has thrown his weight behind the Minister for Education, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang for asking teachers and heads of basic schools to incorporate local languages in their tutorship.
Prof Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang directed the teachers and heads to refrain from the use of only English language as the primary communication tool in the classrooms.
She urged the teachers to let local languages take precedence over the foreign language so as to adequately equip students with requisite knowledge.
Addressing a gathering last Monday at a ceremony to mark the beginning of the assessment of teachers for the 2014 National Best Teachers Award, Prof Jane Opoku-Agyemang said; "when we teach children in languages that they do not understand, teaching and learning do not take place and frustration begins to build. The inclusion of Ghanaian language is critical. It is important for learning. Sometimes, we compare ourselves unfavourably with countries like Malaysia and South Korea, but all these countries teach in their local languages."
Speaking on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo", Opanyin Agyekum explained that what the sector minister wanted to put across was not a blanket ban on the teaching of English in schools but a gradual introduction after the child had become conversant with the local language.
According to him, the accepted method of teaching is using the local language as the sole medium of instruction from primary one to primary two, added that this ensures that by the time the child leaves Primary Three, he or she will be conversant with their local dialect.
To him, the Minister's comment should not be blown out of proportion since it comes as an admonition that Ghana should revert to the era where local languages were paramount in schools' curricular.
Prof Agyekum also commented on the current abysmal performance of candidates who sat for the 2014 West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WASSSCE) saying one of the main cause for that poor record is the over exposure and addiction to social media.
Accusing students of taking their studies for granted and over exploiting the purpose of social media and typing in short hand which prevents them from writing words in full, the linguistic expert also lamented that syllabuses have been reduced to theories while the role of extra-curricular activities in developing the child both physically and mentally have been completely neglected.
“Spoken English is different from Written English…," he said.
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