By Iddi Yire
Accra, Oct 25, GNA – The use of mother tongue as a means of instruction is now compulsory in all Basic Schools in the country, Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu has directed.
This is part of efforts to improve teaching and learning, he explained.
The Minister gave the directive on Friday at the official launch of the Free Tertiary Education for Persons with Disability by President John Dramani Mahama in Accra.
Mr Iddrisu noted that the President had emphasised that they should shift focus to Basic Education and to improve learning outcomes at the basic level.
“Mr President, the story is told of a young girl whose teacher somewhere in the Ashanti Region went in and was waxing English, teaching at those early stages of development. Then, the child told the teacher that, ‘try to speak a little Twi, so that I can understand you’,” the Minister stated.
“So, Mr. President, in line with that and with your authority, I am directing the Director General of the Ghana Education Service (GES) and the GES that from today, teacher use of mother tongue instruction is now compulsory in all Ghanaian schools.”
The Minister directed GES to ensure strict enforcement of the directive.
“That a Ghanaian child was not born into an English family but a proud Ashanti Akan family and deserves to learn. This is part of President Mahama’s Reset Agenda.”
Touching on the Free Tertiary Education for Persons with Disability initiative, Mr Iddrisu said President Mahama was not only fulfilling a major campaign promise, but demonstrating to Ghanaians once again that he was the compassionate President of Ghana and committed to touching the lives of vulnerable persons.
The move is also to ensure their inclusivity and to give meaning to the phrase that disability was not inability.
Mr Iddrisu announced that the new stress-free fees initiative would cost the state and the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) some GHS31 million.
“President Mahama has asked me to assure you that so long as he is President, from now until 2028, the GETFund will commit GHS50 million every other year to support a new disability fee and other associated interventions,” he said.
The Minister reiterated President Mahama’s commitment to expand access to quality relevant education.
He said during President Mahama’s recent trip to China, his Chinese counterpart, President Xi Jinping, as part of his birthday celebration gifted Ghana a grant of 200 million Chinese Yuan Renminbi (equivalent to $30 million).
Mr Iddrisu noted that President Mahama had since directed that the $30 million Chinese grant be used to start a Science University in Damongo, the Savannah Regional Capital.
The Minister said the President was aware that in some parts of Ghana, access to quality secondary and higher education was still a challenge.
President Mahama, he said recognises the role and the continuous role of the church in partnering the state in the provision of higher education.
“Accordingly, President Mahama is dedicating the 200 million RMB for the start and establishment of a Catholic Science University in Damongo in the Savannah Region. So that, at least, that will be done,” the Minister said.
Mr Iddrisu said two additional new technical universities would be established in Jasikan in the Oti Region and Techiman in the Bono East Region.
GNA.