‘Language a necessary tool for societal integration’
The Director of the Ghana Institute of Languages (GIL), Dr John Amuzu Gadzekpo, has underscored the importance of language as a tool in societal integration and interaction.
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He said it was important for the country to train people with different language backgrounds to cater for those who would want to use the doors of Ghana as the gateway to the sub-region, noting that the country’s dream of being the gateway to West Africa would fail if its citizens could not interact effectively with people from different language backgrounds.
Dr Gadzekpo made the statement when he addressed the matriculation of the Tamale campus of the GIL on Saturday.
He said the GIL was established to do research into languages and language-related fields and to advise the Government of Ghana on language policies.
“We will, therefore, continue to carry out this mandate by ensuring that the acquisition of new languages is brought to the doorstep of people, with the expansion of our branches,” he stated.
Relevance of languages
He said Hebrew would be added to the curriculum of courses taught at the institution beginning January 2014.
The director said he had served on panels to select people for top posts in international organisations such as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the United Nations (UN).
“What I have always realised is that while the Anglophone candidates have higher and better degrees, their Francophone counterparts always beat them to those jobs because of their ability to speak English, while the Anglophone candidates do not understand anything in French,” he added.
He, therefore, urged Ghanaians to change their attitude towards the learning of French, adding that “the ability of every professional to speak more than one international language gives him a comparative advantage over those who just speak English.”
Low enrolment
The Head of the Tamale branch of the GIL, Mr Benjamin Gbeglo, complained about the low enrolment in the school for this academic year, attributing the situation to the increase in fees this year.
He said laboratories in the school had been equipped with audio-visual materials aimed at enhancing teaching and learning.
The Chairman for the occasion, Alhaji Mohammed Haroun Cambodia, said nobody would realise the importance of a second international language until they travelled out of the country.
“I have had the privilege of travelling to 17 different countries and I can tell you that on most occasions, I regret for not taking my French lessons in school seriously,” he lamented.
