Editorial: Save Ghana’s Languages Before They Disappear

Last year, the Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, took a bold and necessary step when he directed the Ghana Education Service (GES) to ensure the full implementation of mother-tongue instruction across schools in the country.

The directive, reported by the state-owned Daily Graphic, requires the use of indigenous languages as the medium of instruction in the early years of education. According to the minister, the policy forms part of the broader educational reset agenda of President John Dramani Mahama, aimed at improving learning outcomes, particularly at the basic level.

The Chronicle believes this directive deserves national support. For years, education experts have argued that children understand concepts better when they are first taught in the language they speak at home. Beyond academic performance, however, the issue at stake is far more profound: the survival of Ghana’s linguistic and cultural heritage.

Only recently, the Executive Director of the Ghana Library Authority, Ziblim Alhassan Betintiche, warned that at least 40 Ghanaian languages are on the verge of extinction. He made the revelation during the authority’s maiden commemoration of International Mother Language Day in Accra.

His warning should alarm every Ghanaian. Language is not merely a means of communication. It carries a people’s history, philosophy, proverbs, folklore and worldview. When a language disappears, an entire system of knowledge disappears with it.

Sadly, the erosion of Ghanaian languages is happening not only because of globalisation, but also because of our own attitudes as a society.

In many homes today, the ability of a child to speak English is mistakenly regarded as a sign of intelligence or social status. Consequently, some parents and guardians deliberately avoid speaking their mother tongues with their children. Ironically, many of these same parents struggle to speak fluent English themselves.

The outcome is troubling. One increasingly encounters Ghanaian children who cannot speak the languages of their own families. In effect, we are raising a generation that may grow up disconnected from its cultural roots.

What makes this situation even more ironic is that many Ghanaians living abroad are making conscious efforts to teach their children local languages in order to preserve their identity. Yet back home, where these languages naturally belong, they are being neglected.

Social changes have also played a role. In the past, children interacted freely within their communities, learning language naturally through play and daily interaction with neighbours. Today, changing lifestyles and social patterns mean that many children spend more time indoors, often exposed primarily to English through television, mobile devices and formal schooling.

The result is the gradual weakening of indigenous languages. This is why the government’s decision to promote mother-tongue instruction from Kindergarten to Primary Three is both timely and necessary. But educational policy alone cannot solve the problem.

The Chronicle believes that the preservation of Ghanaian languages must begin at home. Parents and guardians must consciously speak their mother tongues with their children. Doing so not only strengthens language skills, but also transmits culture, values and identity.

Communities should also encourage healthy interaction among children, allowing them to learn naturally from one another. Religious institutions, including churches and mosques should equally promote the use of local languages during services and community engagements.

We are of the opinion that language is the soul of a people. When a nation loses its language, it risks losing its identity. Ghana must, therefore, act decisively to protect its linguistic heritage before it fades into history. Saving our languages is not merely a cultural choice; it is a national responsibility.

 

 

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