Language: For cohesion and unity
It goes without saying that languages play a vital role in defining our identity, promoting inclusive education and protecting our collective knowledge for generations to come.
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United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has consistently highlighted the role of multilingual education based on the first language, also called mother language or home language, during annual International Mother Language Day celebrations.
The mismatch between home language(s) and school language(s) has long negatively impacted education systems in all regions of the world.
For decades, the exclusive use of dominant languages for instruction has been seen as affecting the quality of teaching.
It has also impaired the validity of learning assessments, and more broadly impacted learners’ future opportunities for education and work.
As many scholars have pointed out, simply using a foreign language as a medium of instruction does not guarantee the effective learning of that language.
It is in recognition of its importance that February 21 each year is International Mother Language Day.
It was instituted by UNESCO on November 17, 1999, in support of the Language movement of the Bangladeshis (or East Pakistani Bengali people), who fought for the recognition of their Bengali language.
The day was further recognised by the United Nations General Assembly, with the adoption of Resolution 56/262 in 2002.
With the resolution, the UN General Assembly’s recognition of the day, the pursuit of multilingualism as “a means of promoting, protecting and preserving diversity of languages and cultures globally” was adopted globally.
Additionally, the international organisation also recognised that “genuine multilingualism promotes unity in diversity and international understanding.”
This year, UNESCO has adopted the theme “Multilingual Education is a Pillar of Intergenerational Learning”, to commemorate the day.
The Bureau of Ghanaian Languages (BGL) that focuses on preserving Ghana’s languages and culture, used the day to get Ghanaians to focus on Ghana’s Language Policy.
The policy has been in existence for a while, however, its implementation has been a challenge.
The BGL yesterday used the day to bring together partners in academia, business and other professions to discuss the policy, and map out how best to implement it.
The Ghana Language Policy was drafted to ensure that children were taught in the mother tongue at the most basic level — kindergarten.
Studies have shown that teaching children in their mother tongue makes it easier for them to pick up a second language.
Thus, Ghana has incorporated that into its policy.
The policy also gave opportunity to pupils to learn a second language, in addition to their first, if they were in a region, where their mother tongue was not spoken.
However, implementation has not been smooth, thus, the BGL has seized the opportunity of the International Mother Language Day to deliberate on the policy with partners.
It also brought together journalists using local languages in their work to train them properly on the use of those languages in disseminating information and broadcasting on air, to communicate more effectively.
In collaboration with an NGO, Baby Kaafo, the bureau is also engaging schoolchildren to code the Ghanaian language for the internet, as any indigenous Ghanian language on the world wide web has been coded by foreigners, who are not conversant with the nuances of the local languages.
The Daily Graphic applauds the BGL for its efforts. Such efforts go a long way to entrench the speaking of indigenous dialects, as well as expand opportunities for the acquisition of one or more other local languages by all Ghanaians.
In the end, it results in integrating people of all ethnic backgrounds in the country.
The Daily Graphic is hopeful that the BGL under the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Arts would be well resourced for the task ahead in entrenching local dialects in order for us not to lose them.
On the failure of our language policy, some have attributed it to the dearth of teachers versed in local languages or dialects.
Thus, the Daily Graphic also calls on the Minister of Education to ensure the teachers and logistics to get the policy successfully implemented are made available.
The Daily Graphic notes that the commemoration of the day is in sync with Sustainable Development Goal Four on inclusivity and lifelong learning opportunities for all.
The Daily Graphic encourages all Ghanaians to take pride in their languages.
Individually and collectively, we must consciously promote our indigenous languages in speech and in all we do.
