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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Stop using rote method to teach – Deputy Minister urges Teachers

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The deputy Minister for Gender and Social protection, Gifty Twum–Ampofo, has called on Parents and Teachers to depart from using the rote method of teaching children how to read.

She says Teaches should instead embrace the use of phonics and the Ghanaian language for teaching at the formative stages of the children.

According to her, many learning challenges that school children encounter in their bid to acquire knowledge in Ghana is as a result of the neglect of the use of the Ghanaian language and the use of phonics in teaching the children.

Speaking at the free distribution of Ghanaian language textbooks for Primary 1 – 3 pupils by the “We Care For You” NGO at the Komenda Edina Eguafo Abirem Municipality, the deputy minister for Gender Children and Social Protection entreated teachers and parents to spend more time in teaching the children using phonics.

“The child should be able to read the alphabet, two letter words, three letter words, four letter words and then he/she will begin to read sentences. 

“My appeal is to all teachers and to those who assist these children to read to spend more time in assisting them using the phonics,” she said.

“Once they are able to read using the phonics method, all other subjects become easy for them,” she stressed.

According to her, the use of the phonics instead of the rote way of learning the alphabet is to help the children read and understand better and ultimately reflect in their academic performances.

“Over the years, the use of the rote method of teaching children hasn’t helped and that is why there is the need to depart from it,” she added.

The Director for the “We Care For You” NGO, Apostle Michael Ankrah, called on Ghanaians to be proud of their language. According to him, many Ghanaians feel shy to communicate with their children in their Ghanaian language. This, he says, contributes to the poor reading habit of the children.

“If you go to some homes, some parents do not want to speak their Ghanaian language with their children. They feel shy in doing that.

“They aren’t proud of their own language. That is serious! The earlier we desist from doing that, the better it will be for our educational system,” he intimated.

The distribution of the free Ghanaian language textbooks by the NGO in the Komenda Edina Eguafo Abirem Municipality is the sixth to be done countrywide.

Co-founder of the NGO, Clement Ankrah, said the NGO is determined to make the books available for use by all schools in the country but need the support of the government in ensuring the dream comes true.

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