The former member of parliament for the Anyaa Sowutuom Constituency, Dr. Adomako Kissi, in his reaction to the Minister of Education’s announcement for the use of local languages in schools, admonished that ministers of state should be cautious in their utterances in terms of policy when there is no roadmap for such policies.
He emphasized that the words of ministers of state carry a lot of weight and they should not be putting policies out there when there are no roadmaps and plans for implementation.
“I really think that ministers of state should be cautious; you do not just throw out things. Your word means a lot. So, if it has not been cooked and ready for implementation, it is best you stay mute, or you inform the general public that you are really passionate about local language, but it needs funding; it needs to be well thought through so that we can all do our best to improve on local dialect and language.”
Dr. Adomako Kissi, Former Member of Parliament for the Anyaa Sowutuom Constituency
At a public gathering, the Minister for Education, Hon. Haruna Iddrisu, announced that local languages be used to teach in schools. He further admonished the Ghana Education Service (GES) to enforce it by making sure teachers in various schools comply.
The directive of the minister has attracted commentary from several individuals and various perspectives, with many pointing out the limitations of a policy of that nature.
Some have cited the limited numbers in terms of teachers trained in the various languages to be able to teach in the various schools. Others have noted that a teacher may be teaching in communities where he or she does not understand the dominant language of such communities. Others have pointed out that there are instances where some students may not understand the dominant language that could be used for teaching in a particular community.
With some of these limitations and many more, Dr. Adomako admonished that there should be conscious efforts from the government to improve on the training of teachers in the various local languages at the institutions that have language departments.
“I think that I want to see the minister and his investment in the Institute of Languages in this country. I think that that should be one of our first key things to invest in languages at the University of Lagen, UCC, or any of the other institutions that handle languages.”
Dr. Adomako Kissi, Former Member of Parliament for the Anyaa Sowutuom Constituency
Dr. Adomako further admonished that there is the need for a conscious effort at reconnecting with the local dialect and language through various means.
“Maybe we can adopt the “Makaranta” way, where after school, on weekends, or on weekdays after school, there is a session strictly for languages, and it will be voluntary for parents who wish to engage their children in that curriculum of local language.”
Dr. Adomako Kissi, Former Member of Parliament for the Anyaa Sowutuom Constituency
He also noted that local languages could be used alongside the English language in labeling on signboards and public buildings like restaurants and other governmental institutions, like it is done in other countries like Germany and the Netherlands.
He also noted that music is one of the ways by which the local dialect can be promoted, admitting that Ghana is actually doing well when it comes to that aspect.
He also added that there could be the branding of t-shirts in the various languages with respect to locality, adding that the Ghanaian has to take pride in our own languages by speaking in them before we could have others appreciate them.
“The key thing is that if you do not take pride in your own language, the foreigners won’t take pride in it, you understand? So, if you look at Putin, and I always say that Putin speaks English, but when he mounts the stage, he will speak in Russian.”
Dr. Adomako therefore admonished that it has to be an all-round effort at building and reconnecting with the local language, putting some structures in place, and also training teachers in the various institutions in order to be able to ensure the use of local languages in schools.
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