The University of Ghana School of Languages in collaboration with the Ghana Commission for United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) organized a symposium to commemorate the 2024 international mother language Day on February 21, 2024.
This year’s commemoration is on the theme ‘Multilingual Education: A pillar of Intergenerational Learning’. The symposium which took place at the Maison Francaise auditorium was honored by various esteemed stakeholders from the Linguistics Association of Ghana (LAG), National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) and Representatives from the Ghana Commission for UNESCO.
Addressing the gathering, CEO of AyaPrep Ltd., Mr. Boakye Appiah, who has also developed a learning application that teaches in local languages highlighted on the proven benefits of learning and communicating in local languages.
“Does the Ghanaian student have the opportunity to study in their own language after knowledge has been translated? Or after they’ve been taught the mother tongue at the primary level? And the answer is no. And it looks like any time there is a synchronous discussion, it’s more of a cultural heritage transfer rather than the knowledge that we have in school.”
Speaking on the topic ‘Mother tongue and the politics of contemporary governance’, Fellow at the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences, Prof. Kwesi Yanka highlighted extensively on the need for Ghana to adopt the usage of our local languages in education and politics amongst other facets.
Advocating for the extensive use of local languages, Prof Kwesi Yanka commended the Speaker of parliament Parliament’s shift to incorporate local language use in parliament.
