USE LOCAL LANGUAGES AS MEDIUM OF INSTRUCTION ...For KG1 to Primary 3 (PAGE 11, AUGUST 25, 2010)

THE Upper East Regional Language Coordinator of the Ghana Education Service, Mr Anaffu Tee Rashid has re-emphasised the need to use local languages referred to as “L1” as a medium of instruction for kindergarten 1 to primary class 3.
According to him, the policy would enable the pupils to gain a firm foundation and help in the study of the English Language also referred to as “L2” later as they climb higher the academic ladder than starting with English.
Mr Anaffu said this at a one day workshop for chiefs, opinion leaders, assembly members, parent-teacher association executives and others in the Bawku Municipality to buy into the idea and educate their community members for easy implementation of the policy.
It was on the theme “stakeholders’ sensitisation on the teaching of local language literacy in KG - P3” by the Bawku Municipal Education Directorate.
The Language Coordinator explained that the concept of using the local language from the scratch was far easier and more sustainable and also had the phenomenon from concrete to abstract or semi-concrete to abstract.
He explained further that the local language was a pre-requisite for mastering the English language, adding that “it will be easier for revision, memorisation and recall” he added.
Mr Anaffu said the procedure was termed Teeming Process where at KG1 children would receive instruction 90 per cent in the local dialect and 10 per cent in English.
He disagreed that private schools performed better than the public schools by the virtue that they instruct their pupils in the English Language from the onset but said if the public schools received proper supervision, methodology, regular in-service training, motivation and teacher retentions, they would perform far better.
In his address, the Bawku Municipal Director of Education, Mr Eugene Zongo Naah-Domah said before this time a predominant Ghanaian Language was the medium of instruction from Primary 1 to Primary 3 while English was taught as a subject.
He indicated that the poor performance especially at the Basic Education Certificate Examination (B.E.C.E) had prompted educational researchers to conduct research and assessment on the issue and as the remedy, two programmes were being put in place to improve students’ performance at the BECE.
Mr Alexis Derry, the Public Relations Officer of Bawku GES and the Training Officer said the two programmes aimed to strengthen district capacity to better plan and manage district school level initiative that would improve school quality and increase accountability for results.