Claudia Deudu, a Fellow at Africa Education Watch in charge of Basic Education and Gender, has urged the government to introduce incentives for teachers who choose to learn local languages or teach children in the various schools.
She stated that the incentives will encourage more teachers to learn local languages in order to teach students.
Her recommendation follows calls for parents and schools to instruct children in learning and speaking their native language.
While celebrating the Ghana Month, calls on parents and even teachers to teach children the local languages have increased.
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But speaking on Atinka TV‘s morning show, Ghana Nie with Ama Gyenfa Ofosu Darkwa, Claudia Deudu noted that one of the things that deter people from learning the local language both at home and school is that the country does not have one national local language.
She observed that some parents do not teach their children the local language because they do not recognize its significance.
She stated that although some parents refused to speak the local language with their children at home, the school was the next best place for children to learn the local languages.
Unfortunately, Claudia Deudu observed that there are insufficient qualified teachers in the schools to teach the children the local language.
Aside from that, she observed that there were no incentives for teachers who enrolled in these courses, particularly at the tertiary level, so the majority are not encouraged to learn the local languages.
She observed that even those who teach local languages do so because they can speak the language, and not because they have formal training in the subject.
In addition, she noted that the various schools lacked the necessary equipment to teach the local languages, which has hindered the promotion of the local language among the populace
According to Claudia Deudu, the Education Ministry introduced the National Literacy Acceleration Programme (NALAP) a few years ago, in which the contents of English books were translated into all local languages so that children could better understand what they were learning, but the program was abandoned shortly thereafter.
She emphasized that policies must be maintained regardless of administration change.
“Government should investigate methods of motivating teachers. If you lack something, you will implement policies that will attract people to that area to pique their interest. What opportunities do you have besides going to school for about six years to learn, then knowing that you can interpret speeches at events or something? “She stated,
Ghana| Atinkaonline.com| Porcia Oforiwaa Ofori
