A Cultural Officer at the National Commission on Culture, Ms Clare Asantewaa Afari, has urged Ghanaian parents to desist from introducing English as the first language to their children and instead focus on imparting their mother tongue.
Speaking on Bullet TV’s Morning Target on Friday, 21 February 2025, Ms Afari stressed the importance of prioritising Ghanaian languages at home and school to preserve the country’s cultural heritage.
“Ghanaian languages should be prioritised in our education. If you look at the education policy from the GES, you would realise that from 2012 there was the introduction of the Ghanaian language as a language of instruction at the basic level of education,” she explained to Seli Acolatse Apaloo who co-hosts the show with Nana Kweku Aduah.
Ms. Afari highlighted the cognitive benefits of teaching children in their mother tongue, stating that concepts are more easily understood when introduced in a language familiar to the child.
“Teaching children one plus one in their mother tongue goes right into their head. Because that is the language of your birth, you can easily say one plus one is two. But when you instruct little children at a tender age in English, which is our official language, the processing of the language in the mind of the child takes a bit longer,” she noted.
She further lamented the growing trend of Ghanaian parents speaking English at home instead of their native language, warning that this could negatively impact the preservation of indigenous languages.
“The education really starts from the home. Most parents are guilty when it comes to the introduction of English to their children as their first language in their home but I think that shouldn’t be. It is about time we all come to the realisation that if we don’t consistently make an effort to ensure that our language stays in the home, we risk losing it in the future,” she cautioned.
Ms. Afari reassured that Ghana is not at risk of language extinction yet, but emphasised the need for continued efforts by both the government and individuals to preserve indigenous languages.
“As of now, we are not expecting a language death, but as time goes on, who knows?” she feared, explaining: “Language death is when a particular language no longer exists.”
She encouraged parents to take pride in their mother tongue and instil the same confidence in their children.
“Parents, this is an advice to you. Uphold your Ghanaian language. Don’t even think that your language is inferior and don’t feel shy speaking your mother tongue, you should be proud of it and impart it to your children. Children who speak fluent English were actually started with their local language by their parents,” she stressed.
