The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin has directed the various committees on finance, culture, education and tourism to explore factors leading to the growing extinction of local languages in the country.
They are to provide appropriate solutions to improve the situation.
This follows concerns raised by Members of Parliament about the increasing neglect of local languages, particularly in basic schools across the country, and the need to pay more attention to this urgent matter.
MP for the Ningo Prampram constituency, Samuel Nartey George expressed concerns about the growing extinction of some Ghanaian languages in primary schools.
During a presentation on the floor of parliament on Thursday, February 15, he highlighted the shortage of teachers in the Ningo and Prampram districts, particularly in teaching their local dialect.
Addressing the issue, he said, “In the Ningo Prampram district there were 37 Akan language teachers, but there were only two Dangbe teachers in a Dangbe community like Ningo or districts like Ningo and Prampram. And so, there was a shortage of teachers. Mr. Speaker, I made a conscious effort within the first four years in office to work with the University of Education, Winneba which had a bachelor’s degree in Dangbe and we sponsored children to go and study and get the degree. But Mr. Speaker, that did not solve the problem. You then have the Ghana Education Service post these Dangbe teachers away to the north”.
Emphasizing the issue of insufficient teachers in primary schools, MP for North Tong, Samuel Okudzetu Ablakwa, underscored the neglect of the need for local language teachers in the Greater Accra Region over an extended period.
He stressed the importance of focusing attention on teaching local languages in our communities, urging the preservation of dignity within our local dialects.
He said in his presentation, “Not too long ago in the capital, here in Accra, Ga chiefs raised a concern about the lack of Ga teachers in the greater Accra region. Only a few months ago, they could not get adequate Ga teachers. And in a lot of basic schools, the Ga language was not being taught at all. So, Mr. Speaker, it’s not only with our good compatriots in Nzema land, even here in the capital. So, several languages are on the verge of extinction and it is a matter that requires urgent national attention. The president, the executive arm, the minister of education, the minister for culture, Mr. Speaker, it is a matter that we must escalate to the highest of levels”
Meanwhile, Speaker Bagbin revealed that plans are underway to make changes to the chamber to employ the use of local languages during parliamentary proceedings at the next parliament sitting.
This is expected to take effect during the second meeting of the fourth session of the Eight Republic.
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Source: Angelina Riley Hayford/ATLFMNEWS
