The ideal of using local languages in schools versus the reality on the ground

Almost every time I see this fifth-grade student, she is reading a book. Out of curiosity, I asked her how many books she had read, and you can imagine her answer, even if she started reading actively in the fourth grade. This is not a very unusual case I have observed among Japanese students.

On trains and at bus stops waiting for a bus, you find a considerable number of school-aged children reading something. This is possible because having the ability to read, their interest, and autonomy in not only reading but also learning have been sustained, which I believe contributes to the country’s success in education.

And to replicate this interest and autonomy in reading and learning among students in Ghana, as early as possible, the focus should be to develop students' reading skills so that by grade three, students should be able to read fluently and have sustained interest and autonomy in reading and learning without heavily depending on the teacher for knowledge, which is mostly confined to the provisions in the curriculum. But the current education system seems to delay literacy skills among students, specifically, reading skills.

I appreciate the importance of the local languages in cultural identity, cognitive development, among others, but we cannot ignore the fact that English is our official language (and it is because of a very crucial socio-cultural reason), it is the ‘de facto’ functional language in governance and business, and the main medium of instruction in schools. If so, why not introduce students to English as early as possible to lay a strong foundation for reading in the main medium of instruction in schools?

In Ghana, the child entering school already has developed oral skills in a local language. This should provide a strong foundation for developing reading and writing skills in that language, as seen in countries like Japan, where the school builds on children’s abilities in speaking and understanding Japanese to develop their reading and writing skills in Japanese.

Basically, Japanese, as a language the child already knows from home, is the language of literacy, the medium of instruction in schools, and the functional language in society.

However, the Ghanaian situation is very complicated, especially considering its multilingual status. The child enters school with significant abilities in speaking and understanding a local language.

That local language is supposed to be the main medium of instruction in the early grades, but after at least the fourth grade, there is going to be a switch where English becomes the primary medium of instruction onwards. In this case, all textbooks and other materials for the various subjects, with the exception of those for the local language as a subject, are in English.

Therefore, even if efforts are made to develop students' reading skills in the local languages at the lower primary, there are often insufficient reading materials and opportunities across various subjects for practice and learning.

But if the main medium of instruction for most of the years the child spends in school is English, then why not also prioritize developing listening and speaking skills in English during the early grades to provide a strong foundation for reading and writing?

By developing students' oral skills in the ‘would be the main’ medium of instruction from at least grade four onwards, the foundation is properly laid to accelerate the development of pupils’ reading skills. In that case, there will also be fewer incidents of teachers pausing in the middle of lessons to translate what they have said in English to the local language, which slows teachers down and undermines content coverage.

Advocating for the use of local languages in schools sounds good; however, in reality, the current socio-cultural and even political fabric of the country, non-native teachers' inability to use the language of the locality, the expectations of some parents, and their utility in certain public spheres do not allow for the success of such an initiative.

To achieve such success, unless, as others have suggested before, we decide as a country to adopt a particular local language for the entire nation, or make sure at least two of the major languages are considered the medium of instruction, depending on the locality.

Even with these, most local languages will still not find their way to the classroom, and people will be ‘forced’ to read and write the language of other ethnic groups, which may, in the long run, create its own problems. If the local languages are the main medium of instruction in schools, and the functional languages in governance, business, and socio-economic mobility, then let us go with it, but if otherwise, let us carefully scrutinize what we are idealizing.

Also, maybe it is time to take a second look at our informal and non-formal education and how they can be used to promote and intensify the learning of local languages.

If the home plays its role well by developing the oral skills of children in the local languages, the burden on the school will be lessened. Community centers should be well-equipped with human and material resources to promote local language activities to maintain cultural identity and preservation, among other benefits.

I believe the visionary Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah saw the need for English to be the official language for a multi-ethnic country like ours. Let us be interested in nurturing and sustaining students’ interest and autonomy in reading and learning for lifelong learning and success, regardless of the language involved.