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The National Education Programme Director for World Vision, a non-governmental organisation, Andrew Ofosu Dankyi, has pointed out that the current Standards-Based Curriculum policy did not include Mother Tongue approach to literacy for pupils in the early stage, affecting their understanding of lessons.
Mr Ofosu Dankyi spoke on the sidelines of a ceremony to mark International Mother Tongue Literacy Day at Dwenase in the Fanteakwa South District of the Eastern Region.
He pointed out the Standards-Based Curriculum gives leverage to only pupils in cities and not rural communities.
“Government introduced the Standards-Based Curriculum for schools. That’s one of the best things ever to happen to Ghana education.
“But, unfortunately, it has taken away the mother tongue language approach to literacy in the early grade making English for literacy. That is extremely difficult especially when it is excluding majority of Ghanaian children who are in rural communities who use mother tongue on daily basis. The idea of using Accra as the central and using it to cascade policies to rural communities does not help,” he pointed out.
Andrew Ofosu Dankyi, World Vision
He added that the situation is affecting literacy learning at the early grade.
“They speak a certain language at home, a language that they have dreamt about and have concept about. When they come to school and start in English, it becomes difficult for them.
“In Education, we learn from known to unknown. But when it comes to language learning, we want to learn from unknown to known. This is simply not good and we need to take a second look at the Standards-Base Curriculum.”
Teachers in the Fanteakwa South District who spoke to 3news.com‘s Yvonne Neequaye agreed on the position of the educationist.
Abigail Tayokodzi is the Early Childhood Development Coordinator for Fanteakwa South District.
“The Mother language has local sounds that helps children at the early stage to understand literacy early. Using English sometimes confuses the pupils and drives some away from school, because they are unable to express themselves.”
Class Three teacher Evelyn Akpene Awukubealey, on her part, added, “They speak their mother tongue when they are home with their parents as kids. So teaching them and interpreting in Twi would help them learn easier and faster. It is difficult teaching them at an early stage using solely English as literacy.”
The new Standards-Based Curriculum design by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA) in partnership with the Ministry of Education seeks to ensure the quality of education and inclusive for all learners by evaluating students based on what they have learned while providing the appropriate level of challenge and rigor among others.
The Fanteakwa South District Chief Executive (DCE), Ernest Ofosu, was confident mother tongue literacy inclusion would improve performances of rural pupils at early stages.
His district recorded 57 percent in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).
The United Nation Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) initiated the International Mother Tongue Day to promote the preservation and protection of all languages used by people.
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