More on Mother Tongue in schools

N. B. Andrews

October 20, 2015

Responding to: - Mother tongue in Ghana schools, again? - E. Ablorh-Odjidja

Your trenchant and hard-hitting response to the statement from the Minister of Education has been well noted.

You have clearly laid out the reasons for your viewpoint.

The nagging question though is as follows; time and time again, why is there such a lack of clarity allied with purposefullness with respect to the positions adopted by our titled public servants?

Given all else that is going on with education in Ghana where is this Minister for Education coming from?

In this world of rapid technological development, burgeoning social media, readily available research material on the internet etc., how can she proffer such an abstruse plan?

Should she even be taken seriously or is she just engaging in click bait?

Has she done any research? Or is she simply regurgitating the contents of position papers and research results without thinking through the concrete conditions of Ghana?

What is her real agenda?

If her thrust was that everybody should be educated and fluent in their mother tongue and English we could probably applaud her.

Frankly, it is becoming tiresome having to comment on the clumsy missteps of our titled public servants and even more irksome watching them preen about in their non-material masks.

They appear to have a penchant for destruction and obfuscation; the results of which are evident all around us.

Yes indeed, we have been here before on this mother tongue issue. But do they not read or are they not aware of this?

Have they not been briefed by their legion of Special Assistants and support staff?

What part of the implications for our multi-ethnic society and its history with respect to the proposed mother tongue education plan do they not understand?

Decrepit infrastructure in the schools, below optimum human resources, indiscipline- all of which have led to the abysmally low standards in the public schools- these are the real problems for the masses of our people.

And the nation as a whole loses.

The middle class has already voted with its feet - and truth be told, that includes the uber nationalistic titled politicians, public servants and their cronies.

Putting on a tin foil hat and not addressing the grave deterioration in our once vaunted educational system will not wash; it is pathetic.

The Minister ought to have a rethink and reboot.

No problem, we got used to their spin a long time ago.

"She has been quoted out of context...."

"She did not say that....."

"What she meant was...."

Now let it flow!

N.B. ANDREWS
Blebo We-Sakumo
Oct 20, 2015