Language for running the affairs of the country

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ROYAL AKANLAND 12 years ago

AND WRITE HIS OWN LANGUAGE. ENGLISH IS A LANGUAGE.YOU CAN UNDERSTAND THINGS BETTER IN YOUR LANGUAGE THAN IN ENGLISH.

AND WRITE HIS OWN LANGUAGE. ENGLISH IS A LANGUAGE.YOU CAN UNDERSTAND THINGS BETTER IN YOUR LANGUAGE THAN IN ENGLISH.
Kola, London Proper 12 years ago

To say English Language should be used in only international business is not only backward but also adds to the existing illiteracy in the country.

English is everything today, Whether you like it or not, our Languages are ...
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To say English Language should be used in only international business is not only backward but also adds to the existing illiteracy in the country.

English is everything today, Whether you like it or not, our Languages are not developed to cope with Global challenges.

Drop your nonsense and rethink.
PKA 12 years ago

What is happening to our educational system? Poorly written article!

What is happening to our educational system? Poorly written article!
KOLA, LONDON PROPER 12 years ago

They are in the same Class, Illiteracy class............hahahahahahahaha.

This author should dare not write any article again..........hahahahahahah.

They are in the same Class, Illiteracy class............hahahahahahahaha.

This author should dare not write any article again..........hahahahahahah.
CHIEF ADE 12 years ago

The issue of the masses understanding the policies, programs and better still, participate in the democratic processes cannot be sufficiently emphasized, on their ability to appreciate the issues being discussed. With about c ...
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The issue of the masses understanding the policies, programs and better still, participate in the democratic processes cannot be sufficiently emphasized, on their ability to appreciate the issues being discussed. With about close to 60-70% of the masses being illiterate, and the voting bloc forming about 70-75% of this number, their understanding of the issues is overly critical for our democracy. Many a times, we hear our politicians on either side of the major political divide, communicating to the masses but in reality, the information being churned out is just for a very minute proportion of the populace. This process tend to reduce citizen participation in such a vital democratic process, because, the medium of communicating is in a language, in which a greater majority do not understand. The result is that, the less fortunate in society are left to form their opinion and decisions on what they hear from second-hand bearers of such gov't information and political parties, which most often is skewed by propaganda, lies and half truths. The proliferation of FM stations sought to address these obvious shortcomings, but, we have a situation where, over politicization of issues has circumvented this very avenue of bringing critical information to the very doorstep of the masses. Other institutions like the information services dept(ISD)and the National commission for civic education(NCCE), etc, etc, have also been politicized. In the spirit of ensuring effective citizen participation in our democratic processes based on a true understanding of the issues, it's very important that we create the platform where, the masses understand the issues based on a language in which they understand. The techical aspects should be broken down to a format in which the masses can understand eg the economy. About 95% of Ghanaians trade and therefore, would appreciate the dynamics of our economy and could make valuable contributions if the technical jargons are broken down into simple common language, in which they can understand. The ISD and the NCCE as well as the state broadcast media should have forums and platforms where citizen engagement is made paramount in a language they can understand and contribute meaningfully in a positive way to the democratic discourse, with a view to enhance accountability and transparent governance and further promote our socio-economic development.
fredsaid 12 years ago

HAS to be dealt with as fundamental and process of subsidised or free education must be fast-tracked instead of squandering, plundering and looting of our budgets

HAS to be dealt with as fundamental and process of subsidised or free education must be fast-tracked instead of squandering, plundering and looting of our budgets
fredsaid 12 years ago

HAS to be dealt with as fundamental and process of subsidised or free education must be fast-tracked instead of squandering, plundering and looting of our budgets

HAS to be dealt with as fundamental and process of subsidised or free education must be fast-tracked instead of squandering, plundering and looting of our budgets
Ada Boy 12 years ago

Is this another concoted untruth?. The medium of instruction in Ghanaian schools has nothing to do with the medocre results! Indian and ethnic Chinese take up the 5% top marks in most tertiary exams in the English speaking w ...
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Is this another concoted untruth?. The medium of instruction in Ghanaian schools has nothing to do with the medocre results! Indian and ethnic Chinese take up the 5% top marks in most tertiary exams in the English speaking world,from America,Australia,Britain and New Zealand. These two groups speak English as a secong language, meaning the same situation as Ghana. We have to look at Indonesia and Singapore, where as Indonesian students learn in their native languages,Singaporeans on the other hand are instructed in english,their second language.So why does Singapore produce bench mark students while Indonesia languish in the bottom-rung?
I will leave here for you here to respond.
JAMES PEROVER 12 years ago

EDUCATE GHANAIANS ON ICT AND THE COMPUTER AGE.WE NEED INTERNET CONNECTIONS ALL OVER THE COUNTRY.TEACH THEM E-TRANSACTIONS AND LET EVERY BUSINESS GO ONLINE.WE MUST ENTER THE 21ST CENTURY.

EDUCATE GHANAIANS ON ICT AND THE COMPUTER AGE.WE NEED INTERNET CONNECTIONS ALL OVER THE COUNTRY.TEACH THEM E-TRANSACTIONS AND LET EVERY BUSINESS GO ONLINE.WE MUST ENTER THE 21ST CENTURY.
Ada Boy 12 years ago

Is this another simplistic answer to mediocrity?. The medium of instruction in Ghanaian schools has nothing to do with the medocre results,in my view. Indian and ethnic Chinese take up 5% top marks in most tertiary exams in t ...
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Is this another simplistic answer to mediocrity?. The medium of instruction in Ghanaian schools has nothing to do with the medocre results,in my view. Indian and ethnic Chinese take up 5% top marks in most tertiary exams in the English speaking world,from America,Australia,Britain and New Zealand. These two groups speak English as a secong language, meaning the same situation as Ghana. We have to look at Indonesia and Singapore, where as Indonesian students learn in their native languages,Singaporeans on the other hand are instructed in english,their second language.So why does Singapore produce bench mark students while Indonesia languishes in the bottom-rung? I will reserve my judgement and leave here for you to respond!

YAYA 12 years ago

Another silly tribalistic uncircumcised ashanti at it again.
Go to hell all ashantis. I hate all of you. Country destroyers

Another silly tribalistic uncircumcised ashanti at it again.
Go to hell all ashantis. I hate all of you. Country destroyers
AJ-usa 12 years ago

dude,ur personal hatered towards the great Ashantes will surely take u to ur grave foool to da core.look around u how many ppl,speak ur backward language.ur just tripping for no reason,how do u attack the ashantis be´cos of ...
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dude,ur personal hatered towards the great Ashantes will surely take u to ur grave foool to da core.look around u how many ppl,speak ur backward language.ur just tripping for no reason,how do u attack the ashantis be´cos of some one article.
animals 12 years ago

Another silly tribalistic uncircumcised ashanti at it again.
Go to hell all ashantis. I hate all of you. Country destroyersplon

Another silly tribalistic uncircumcised ashanti at it again.
Go to hell all ashantis. I hate all of you. Country destroyersplon
awuku 12 years ago

shitting on u,

shitting on u,
Mother Africa 12 years ago

do you know how much is going to cost Ghana to write her own textbooks in physics, chemistry, mathematics, etc, etc.

do you know how much is going to cost Ghana to write her own textbooks in physics, chemistry, mathematics, etc, etc.
Nana Yaw III 12 years ago

Mr. Osei-Poku,

You are right in the assertion that opposition to the use of another language (a Ghanaian) as the national language always win the day. And you rightly stated some of the factors which contribute to the adv ...
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Mr. Osei-Poku,

You are right in the assertion that opposition to the use of another language (a Ghanaian) as the national language always win the day. And you rightly stated some of the factors which contribute to the advantages that the use of English language have over any of the other Ghanaian languages.

This nation cannot waste time in debates and the selections of an acceptable Ghanaian language to be used as the national language because we have more pressing and important issues to tackle. Issues such as the provision of safe drinking water, stable electricity, health and good roads are yet to be solved and you want us to invest huge sums of monies into the selection of a national language? Compared with the English language, how many Ghanaians can easily read and write any of the Ghanaian languages you may opt for?

As a political science student (or practicing political scientist) you should direct your energies and resources towards helping to address the problems of political administration that we have in this country. Ghana currently faces a serious problem of true decentralisation which is thwarting and retarding development at the grassroots, and we need to find lasting solutions to these real problems. I hope you won’t come back to tell me that those problems exist because English language is the medium of communication used.

Finally, cost wise I believe it will be more expensive to change our current national official language to any Ghanaian one than to improve the level of literacy in English language. Can you imagine the discontent among the various tribes of Ghana over the imposition of one particular tribe’s on the others?
Son of Africa 12 years ago

I believe we have no other choice than to stick to the english language even though I hate the fact that it was imposed upon us.The lyric the phonetics,the way the english language is spoken and understood is the problem.The ...
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I believe we have no other choice than to stick to the english language even though I hate the fact that it was imposed upon us.The lyric the phonetics,the way the english language is spoken and understood is the problem.The way a Ghanaian expresses himself including myself,void of the adequate words he should have used to express himself is the point to be taken serious.We cannot afford to waste tax payers.and national resources in writing new text books now, but there is the necessity in comunicating intensively in local languages,use them side by side the english language until we are ready to filally make all other collonial languages second or third languages.That could be the case in ten or twenty years who Knows.
CHIEF ADE 12 years ago

You do have very valid points. However, in a situation where a greater majority of the masses do not have a good grasp of the English language and our politicians seek to take advantage of such a situation, a very robust and ...
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You do have very valid points. However, in a situation where a greater majority of the masses do not have a good grasp of the English language and our politicians seek to take advantage of such a situation, a very robust and pragmatic solution needs to be sought to address, the situation whereby, citizen engagement and interaction on the issues germane to our socio-economic development is very, very thorough, so that, voters do not go to the polling booth without an acute appreciation of the issues and the facts, that would invariably, determine the very choices which would affect their very lives. Education is key, however, in the interim, what is the way forward? ISD, NCCE, Non formal education division of the Min. of Education, CSO's, etc, etc, would have to devise a means of bringing to the doorstep of every Ghanaian, a very profound sense of understanding of the issues. Rapid decentralization would also ensure and engender marked citizen engagement at the grassroots, which is also very important. The issues would always be there, however, in a situation where the greater majority of the populace do not have a good hang of the English language, something needs to be done to prevent lies, propaganda and half-truths, forming the basis of citizen engagement, with it's attendant consequences in the choices that are made in each election cycle. The official language which is english cannot be changed, but, we need an all inclusive participation of every Ghanaian in the democratic process based on sound, very well articulated information, easy and simple to understand, and which promotes positive information flow and sharing, not based on lies and propaganda.
Pelicles 12 years ago

Africans especially, Ghanaians are the most foolish people ever to walk this planet. We have our own language yet, the hatred that we attached to these languages, is something beyond reason.

Who made English the sole inte ...
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Africans especially, Ghanaians are the most foolish people ever to walk this planet. We have our own language yet, the hatred that we attached to these languages, is something beyond reason.

Who made English the sole international language? First of all, we did not invite the British to come to Ghana. They showed up and the unthinkable took place to date.

The time has come for us to move past that foolish idea that anything about is inferior. We should use English for international relations only but locally, we should come out with something locally, to interact with the people as most of them are illiterate.

While some nations are trying to limit the use of English, Africans feel proud about it because we are of the view that being fluent in English, makes one superior. Nonsense.

Ghana, as she stands, will lose any move to use any of our local languages because "EWES" will be the first to oppose any such move. If Ewes are the majority and using their language for national cohesiveness, I will love that but what about them?
Kwasi Poku 12 years ago

If after 56 years of independence and free education for the north and affordable education for all, majority of Ghanaians cannot express themselves in English (I dont mean speak the Queen's type of English), then it is an in ...
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If after 56 years of independence and free education for the north and affordable education for all, majority of Ghanaians cannot express themselves in English (I dont mean speak the Queen's type of English), then it is an indictment on the type of leaders we have in the country and the educational system. Anyone born at independence (56 yrs old) and after, should be able to express themselves in English IF the system put in place worked.

Paul Amuna 12 years ago

I find this repeated call and argument redundant. There are many tribes and many languages in Ghana. Using the English language as our 'national language of instruction and business' in my view does us no harm at all. I rathe ...
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I find this repeated call and argument redundant. There are many tribes and many languages in Ghana. Using the English language as our 'national language of instruction and business' in my view does us no harm at all. I rather regret that we as a nation have not taken the French language seriously given the fact that we are surrounded by Francophone countries and who have better trading advantages and communication if we were more literate in French.

The idea that we should have our own national language to me is crass. Where do we begin? and whose language or dialect will be the national language? And who will enforce such imposition on the people of Ghana? The fact that many Ghanaians have learnt to communicate in different languages especially in the urban areas does not mean that the majority speak (and write) one language which therefore should become the official language. furthermore, such a move has huge implications for text, signs and even meaning and interpretation of terms, theories and other aspects of pedagogy and academic thought and expression.

I for one see no traction at all for this suggestion, nor do I appreciate the continuous arguments over it. Quite apart from anything, it would worsen the notion of 'superiority of language' and indirectly, of 'tribe or creed' if allowed to fester. By all means in a democracy, people are entitled to their opinions about what they see as 'logical'. equally in a democracy, others are entitled to reject wholly such opinions and to defend their objection. Emmanuel, I cannot see myself agreeing with you on this issue, ever, because your argument does not hold 'a molecule of water'. please ditch it or bin it!
Ada Boy 12 years ago

Capacity building into the existing system is what s required.Emmanuel's solution is a feel good one without delivering any benefits.If chinese and Indians who speak english as second languages can stay on top in western tert ...
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Capacity building into the existing system is what s required.Emmanuel's solution is a feel good one without delivering any benefits.If chinese and Indians who speak english as second languages can stay on top in western tertiary exams,does that teach us anything?
Matthe 12 years ago

Valid point.I would suggest Twi and Dagbani.
Twi is closely related to most of the southern languages.So is Dagbani in the north.

Valid point.I would suggest Twi and Dagbani.
Twi is closely related to most of the southern languages.So is Dagbani in the north.
Matthe 12 years ago

Why Twi And Dagbani?Northerners are more
Likely to enmbrace Twi if they see something
In it for them.

Why Twi And Dagbani?Northerners are more
Likely to enmbrace Twi if they see something
In it for them.

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Language for running the affairs of the country

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