My latest column for Infoboxx on proposals to remove English as Ghana's language of instruction
Just a few weeks ago, the Minister of Education, Jane Naana Opoku-Agyeman, called for Ghana to bid a similar farewell to English as the primary language of instruction in public schools. According to Minister Opoku-Agyeman, English Language instruction hinders the working class from better education. In a forum at the University of Ghana, she cited the example of Korea as a country that used to be on par with Ghana in development but advanced through teaching children in their native language.
While Minister Opoku-Agyeman’s declarations may help instill more ethnic pride and respect for African languages, the link between economic development and instruction in mother tongues is not so simple. Nor is the expectation that instruction in local languages will stir national or ethnic pride.