'Teach Local Languages in Schools to Enrich African Culture'

By Joyceline Natally Cudjoe

The Deputy Education Office Director of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Ms. Yvette Malcioln has called on educational stakeholders to teach pupils their local languages to enrich the African culture.

According to her, learning in the mother tongue first is integral in the learning process as it preserves the individual's culture thus aid in comprehension.

"It takes longer time for children to become fluent readers when they learn in English, which is not their first language," she noted.

Ms. Malcioln said this at a two-day reading competition organised by Infinity 970 in collaboration with USAID, the Ministry of Education (MoE), Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), Family Health International 360, JK Books, GTP and the Buka in Accra.

Dubbed "Read for Life," the competition sought to unearth the talent of pupils and help them to cultivate the habit of reading.

Participants for the competition involved pupils from Osu Cluster of Schools and La Nkwantanang Circuit of Schools.

The La Nkwantanang Municipal Director of Education, Mr. Peter Namba Ngala said that the MoE and USAID joined forces to promote the reading of the local dialect as it had been relegated to the background.

He added that even when teachers were teaching Ghanaian language in class they preferred mixing it with English. He was, therefore, hopeful that the programme would help improve the teaching and learning of pure local language in the various schools.

To ensure consistency in reading among children, Mr. Michael Kwabla Odonkor, the head teacher of Tenashie Junior High School (JHS), entreated the MoE to build libraries in communities and schools for children to get access to books.

Mr. Odonkor lauded Infinity 970 for organising the programme to enlighten pupils on acquiring good grades to improve education in Ghana.

He requested that the organisation should extend the programme nationwide to create awareness for every child to know the essence of reading.

The Executive Director (EC) of Infinity 970, Ms Babara Davies pledged her organisation's support to schools to help pupils to unleash their talents.

That, he said would help boost the government's dream of giving every child the chance to have quality education.

"Pupils must be exposed to new ways of learning since it will broaden their horizon in life to secure a better position in future," he said.

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