Ghana’s Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has directed that the use of local languages as a medium of instruction is now compulsory in all basic schools nationwide. He explained that the move forms part of efforts to improve teaching and learning outcomes at the foundational level.
The Minister gave the directive on Friday at the official launch of the Free Tertiary Education for Persons with Disability initiative by President John Dramani Mahama in Accra. Mr Iddrisu noted that the President had emphasised the need to shift focus to basic education to improve learning outcomes at that level.
He recounted a story illustrating the challenge: “Mr President, the story is told of a young girl whose teacher somewhere in the Ashanti Region, went in and was waxing English, teaching at those early stages of development. Then, the child told the teacher, ‘Try to speak a little Twi, so that I can understand you’.”
Based on this, the Minister issued a clear directive: “So, Mr President, in line with that and with your authority, I am directing the Director General of the Ghana Education Service (GES) and the GES that from today, teacher use of mother tongue instruction is now compulsory in all Ghanaian schools.”
The Minister further directed the GES to ensure strict enforcement of the directive. “That a Ghanaian child was not born into an English family but a proud Ashanti Akan family, and deserves to learn. This is part of President Mahama’s Reset Agenda,” he said.
Touching on the Free Tertiary Education for Persons with Disabilities initiative, Mr Iddrisu said that President Mahama was not only fulfilling a major campaign promise but also demonstrating that he remained a compassionate leader committed to improving the lives of vulnerable Ghanaians. He explained that the initiative was aimed at ensuring inclusivity and giving true meaning to the belief that disability is not inability.
Mr. Iddrisu announced that the new stress-free fees initiative would cost the state and the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) about GHS31 million. He also conveyed the President’s commitment: “President Mahama has asked me to assure you that so long as he is President, from now until 2028, the GETFund will commit GHS50 million every other year to support a new disability fee and other associated interventions.”
Mr. Iddrisu noted that President Mahama had since directed that the $30 million Chinese grant be used to establish a Science University in Damongo, the Savannah Regional capital. He said the President recognized that access to quality secondary and higher education remained a challenge in some parts of the country and acknowledged the continued role of the church in partnering the state in the provision of higher education.
“Accordingly, President Mahama is dedicating the 200 million RMB for the start and establishment of a Catholic Science University in Damongo in the Savannah Region… The Minister added that two additional new technical universities would be established in Jasikan in the Oti Region and Techiman in the Bono East Region.
GNA
