10.5 C
London
Thursday, March 28, 2024

Learn foreign languages – Dr Spio-Gharbrah tells students

By
Dennis Osei Gyamfi, GNA

Accra, Sept. 11, GNA – Dr Ekow Spio-Garbrah,
Executive Chairman of African Business Center for Developing Education (ABCDE)
has urged students to develop interest in learning other foreign languages in
addition to what they know.

Dr Spio-Garbrah a former Minister of
Education, said the world had become a global village and people who speak more
than one international language were taking advantage to grow their businesses
and other endeavours.

He said this when he addressed students from
Achimota Senior High School (SHS), St. Thomas Aquinas SHS and Accra Wesley
Girls SHS at a ceremony to commemorate International Literacy Day on the theme:
‘Literacy and multilingualism,’ in Accra.

The Former Minister of State observed that,
it was best to learn a new language at an early age between four and ten, but
added that; “even at the secondary school level those who did not have the
opportunity to learn can do so.”

“Increasingly as you get into the corporate
world or public services, you find out that in many job advertisements, they
tell you a foreign language would be an additional benefit to the applicant. So
it is better that at an early age as students you recognize the importance of
adding other languages,” he said.

In a speech read on behalf of Mr Ben Hassan
Ouattara, Managing Director of Vivo Energy Ghana by Madam Shirley Tony Kum, he
said it was important for the students to realize the impact that language had
in the world and in interacting with others. 

He said learning another language in childhood
improved cognitive abilities, adding that, fluency in multiple languages was
also a catalyst for economic growth.

“Currently most businesses with global
ambition are targeting workers with multiple language skills to navigate
international markets readily without much resources or difficulties. This goes
to say that you stand tall among your peers if you are able to learn other
languages apart from English Language,” he said.

International Literacy Day is a day marked
by United Nations and celebrated annually on September 8 to serve as an
opportunity for governments, civil society and stakeholders to highlight
improvements in world literacy rates, and reflect on the world’s remaining
literacy challenges.

The program was organized by ABCDE in
partnership with VIVO Energy Ghana.

GNA

Latest news

Related news