Former Minister for Education and Bosomtwe Member of Parliament (MP), Dr Osei Adutwum, has called on teachers to adopt varied teaching strategies, including the use of local languages in the classroom.
He urged teachers not to rely solely on English, but to put in place mechanisms to ensure lessons are also taught in local languages that both teachers and students understand.
He clarified that the call is not for teachers to abandon English, but to use it interchangeably with local languages.
“If a child comes to class, teach him in the language he understands and that you, the teacher, understand as well. Use the language for differentiation. Don’t say that because we don’t speak Ga in school, you will not use the Ga language. Use it as an intervention to help the child understand what you are teaching,” he said.
The MP also addressed how English is currently taught in schools, describing it as a barrier for many students. He noted that most students fail not because they lack ability, but because they cannot write the language or understand it when it is used to teach.
He explained two language models: the learning model and the acquisition model. The acquisition model, he said, is especially important because it does not require a rigid process for comprehension.
According to him, acquisition works the way a person who travels to Italy with no knowledge of Italian eventually becomes fluent simply by living there. Once acquisition takes place, formal language learning can then continue.
“If you speak English to the students, they will acquire the language through immersion, and then the language learning will follow. It does not mean you are leaving your culture behind it is called bilingual education, just as Singapore practises,” he said.
He stressed the importance of English but argued it should not be treated as a first language. Instead, it should be taught as a second language, with students allowed to learn at their own pace rather than having it forced on them.