Publication

The Language Policy of Education in Ghana: A Critical Look at the English-Only Language Policy of Education

The language policy of education in Ghana has had a checkered history since the colonial era. In May 2002, Ghana promulgated a law, which mandates the use of English language as the medium of instruction from primary one (grade one) to replace the use of a Ghanaian language as the medium of instruction for the first three years of schooling, and English as the medium of instruction from primary four (grade four). This new policy has attracted a lot of criticism from a section of academics, politicians, educators, traditional rulers, and the general populace. This paper looks briefly at the historical development of educational language policy in Ghana, examines what necessitated the change in policy, and responds to issues raised. The paper then argues for the reversal of the new policy and proposes the implementation of a late-exit transitional bilingual education model.

Author
Charles Owu-Ewie
Year
2006
Country
Ghana
Region
West Africa
Topic
National Language and Book Policies
Licensing Condition
Creative Commons: Attribution Share Alike 4.0