“I cannot teach anybody anything; I can only make them think” – Socrates
In the Introduction to Russian “ABV” J. L. L. Fennel states, inter alia: “… The student is advised first of all to learn by heart the vocabulary of the lesson, then carefully to work through the rules. He should then read the Russian passages several times until he can translate them into English without difficulty …”
Why would Asanteni skip Twi (Asante–Twi), learn English which is the language of our colonial masters, get Grade One and go to the University to study Russian? What about French, Spanish, Swahili – or Greek and Latin (the Classics)?
The government policy on higher education dictated that, as well as several other options in the 1970s. So students had the option to study Religions, History, Geography, Home Science, Music, Political Science, Library Studies…… Medicine, Administration.
Reforms in Education have been preached for many times over the years and the Daily Graphic captures the present thinking in the editorial of 19th January, 2026 headed “Education, youth and the urgency for reform”. The editorial noted: “The future of any nation is written in its classrooms … The youth represent the country’s greatest asset and its future workforce. When their education falters, their capacity to drive national development is diminished … For us at the Daily Graphic this moment calls for unity rather than blame …’’
Listening to Captain Smart on Onua FM (Onua Maakye) last Christmas one could not be sure of his position as far as “reform” goes. Why did he select the late I. K. Gyasi and Michael Kofi Nsowah, former GES Director-General for blame? Such impudence and such unpardonable attack on public implementers of government policy! Simply nauseating to hear Captain Smart say: “You go to the University to learn English Literature…” Are you m…!
We were colonised by the British and we attended schools established by the colonialists. We were “forced” to learn English or better still, the 3 Rs – reading, (W) riting, and (A) rithmetic. Time was when the local languages (Twi, Fante, Nzema, Ewe, Dagomba …) were banned in schools.
Whoever spoke the local language was given varied forms of punishment: physical punishment like caning, standing up in class, fines, public shaming/ridicule (e.g. wearing tokens like tied snail shells or holding placards with the inscription: “I will not speak vernacular again”.
As recent as March, 2021, Professor Charles Owu–Ewie, the Dean of the Faculty of Ghanaian Languages of the University of Education, Winneba was lamenting the punishment for speaking the local languages in schools.
When Ghana attained independence in 1957 (almost 70 years ago) Nkrumah’s government could have adopted one of the 80 or so local languages as a policy. He chose the white man’s language, English, and the glib-tongued would rattle English for prestige – to the extent that some parents would not teach their children any local language, but stress English.
Kofi Sey would say:…. (English) a historical accident;… there was a need for one local language Time was (2003) when Kari Dako said in “Ghanaianism – A Glossary” … The author’s attitude towards the material presented is simply English in Ghana is undergoing a process of indigenisation as a result of its contact situation.
English, as the official language in Ghana, as the language of the executive, the judiciary and the legislature, as the main medium of education, business and the media, must of necessity accommodate the various demands put on it by its new socio-cultural environment. Either the floodgates are opened to allow English to find its own mode in Ghana, distinct from any outside influences, or the reins are tightened to attempt to maintain some connection with standard native varieties.
So, ‘pidgin’ where you will hear words like “foodian” “sure banker”, “akplanke” (apprentice), “obolobo” (fat) “Agegeian” (Nigerian), “filla” (news), “youngies” (youth) “awam” (trick; Association of West African Merchants) “galamsey” (gather them and sell; gold; small-scale gold mining).
Seth Kwame Awuku laments in The Chronicle of 22nd January; “Ghana is losing its libraries – and the consequences are national.
In Sekondi–Takoradi, the Western Regional Library in Sekondi and the Takoradi Public Library once nurtured generations of disciplined readers, writers, and professionals.
Today, both struggle with outdated collections, ageing infrastructure, and declining patronage …
You may take the need for educational reforms serious or funny. Just like Akrobeto: “When you go to buy a paint … go straight … and buy alogli paint …” And Azuma Nelson will say correctly “acrylic paint”. Or you will recall the recent press conference of the Legal Wives of Lumba and the Englishy scholar; …. “investigate the lawyer … the circumstances solounding the marital property to the famiry of Lumba … we request for atopsy … Subsekentry … as she craims … the body was allegly moved without police … mal-fiance …”
Does anyone take the issue of reforms as a QED (Quod erat Demonstradum)? What is the aim of education? What language is suitable? Captain Smart recently did a Master’s degree in Digital Marketing (University of Professional Studies); English language was used in teaching him and why was he so elated as to put the graduation cap (mortarboard; trencher) on his father’s head later his mother head? Ino be so? Ibe so!
You may read Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales and learn titbits of Middle English (14th century) words like “lyf” (life) pronounced more like “leaf”, “soot” (sweet), “twaye” (two). In “General Prologue” you may read: “Whan that Aprille with his shoures soote / The droghte of March hath perced to the roote …” rendered in Modern English as: “When April with its showers / The drought of March has pierced to the root …”
When James Ngugi wrote English Novels like “Weep Not Child” (1964); “The River Between” (1965); “A Grain of Wheat” (1967); “Petals of Blood” (1977) we enjoyed reading them with the Mau Mau rebellion in Kenya; now Ngugi wa Thiong’o writes in local Gikuyu; we are yet to appreciate “Caitaani Mutharabaini” (1980); “Matigari” (1986); “Murogi wa Kagogo” …
Prof. Florence Abena Dolphyne of the Linguistics Department, University of Ghana once called for a national language for Ghana. Coming from an Nzema father and an Achinakrom mother, she chose her PhD dissertation on: “The Phonetics and Phonology of the Verbal Piece In The Asante Dialect of Twi”.
What does Captain Smart say about this? Should the language be Asante, Akan, Ewe, Hausa, Dagbani; or what? We can imagine or rather, anticipate a political imbroglio! OR a political catastrophe.
For now, the policy is, a pass in English, Core Mathematics and Integrated Science or Social Studies. While Integrated Science is compulsory for science and technical programs, Social Studies is vital for non-science programmes.
We share the problem facing Robert Baiden, Chemistry instructor at Komenda Teacher Training College; using the indigenous language for instructions, specifically Fante, would be problematic because many of the terms I teach, e.g atom, don’t have Fante equivalents.
Do you enjoy reading Shakespeare, Spurgeon, Max Weber, Socrates (469–399 BC); Plato (427– 347 BC); Aristotle (384–322 BC) Pythagoras (570–490 BC); Heraclitus (535–475 BC); Democritus (460–370 BC); Diogenes of Sinope (412–323 BC); Epicurus (341–270 BC); Zeno of Citium (334–262 BC).
Whatever one says or thinks, English has become an open Sesame, for a journey into the heart of philosophy, among other subjects including law and even the science subjects. Reforms, yes. But let us progress steadily otherwise we stand the risk of falling from the precipice.
