Headmaster wants Ghanaian language to be optional

Tatale (N/R), May 26, GNA - Mr Frank Afakpui, Headmaster of the Tatale E.P. Agricultural Secondary School, has suggested to the Ministry of Education and the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) to consider making Ghanaian language an optional subject for final year junior secondary school students.

He said the policy of WAEC to make Ghanaian Language compulsory for the students, affected the results of some of them who did well in many subjects but performed badly in the Ghanaian Language partly due to the lack of tutors or textbooks.

Mr Afakpui who was speaking in an interview with the GNA on the perennial bad performance of students in Ghanaian language at Tatale on Tuesday, noted that although the were about 13 main ethnic groups with different languages in the Northern Region, only Dagbani was recognised by WAEC.

He said students who did not speak the language or did not have tutors for it could not cope with the teaching and studying of the subject.

"For so many years now, the Tatale circuit schools which is a predominantly Basare area had performed badly in Dagbani due to the lack of teachers for Dagbani and the lack of any knowledge about the language by some students".

Mr Afakpui observed that the few teachers of Dagbani in the Zabzugu/Tatale District were not ready to accept postings to non-Dagbani areas, which was further compounding the already existing problems in the area.

He, therefore, appealed to the Ministry and WAEC to either consider the teaching of all major languages for examination purposes or to make French and other subjects alternatives to Ghanaian Language.