A seasoned educationist and spokesperson for former Education Minister Prof. Yaw Osei Adutwum, Mr. Opoku Mensah, says the Education Minister’s recent directive on using local languages as the medium of instruction in basic schools is nothing new. Speaking in an interview on the Teknokrat Show on Focus 94.3 FM, Mr. Mensah explained that the 2019 curriculum already makes provision for local languages to be used in teaching at the lower primary level.
“If that is the case, what it means is that it is not new. The 2019 curriculum specifically states that local languages should be used as the medium of instruction at the lower primary,” he said.
His comments follow a directive from Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu reaffirming the use of local languages in schools, a move that has sparked debate among education stakeholders. Mr. Mensah, however, questioned the motive behind the announcement, suggesting it could be due to poor briefing or an attempt to create a populist impression.
He described the situation as worrying and urged the Minister’s technical team to provide accurate guidance before such pronouncements are made. He further argued that extending local language instruction to all levels of education is not feasible because some Ghanaian languages are not developed enough to explain complex concepts.
Mr. Mensah concluded by urging the Ministry to strengthen the existing hybrid system, which combines local and English instruction, to preserve Ghana’s cultural identity while preparing students for global opportunities.