To save Ghanaian culture from extinction, Parliament should start using its native tongues when doing business on the House floor. Language interpreters and the right equipment for a flawless takeoff are among the facilities that Speaker of the Parliament Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin announced will be installed.
The new Standing Orders, Order 63, permit a Member of Parliament (MP) to speak in any of the regional languages, provided that it is interpreted and translated so that everyone can understand.
On the second meeting of the Eighth Parliament’s fourth session, that is anticipated to get underway.
The new policy will therefore go into effect following the Easter break, barring any hiccups.
When Second Deputy Minority Leader Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah made a statement yesterday on the floor of Parliament advocating for the preservation and advancement of the Nzema language, the question of the usage of indigenous languages came up.
The Nzema language is one of the 11 regional languages covered in the curriculum for the basic and senior high school grades, according to Mr. Buah, who is also the National Democratic Congress MP for Ellembele in the Western Region.
Regretfully, there is cause for concern since interest in teaching and studying the language in our educational institutions is sharply declining, even though the language is at a very high level of growth.
Members responded to this by calling for the use of local languages in basic schools in order to promote the languages and provide good knowledge of the various courses.
They argued that science classes, including chemistry, ought to be able to be taught in the native tongues, much like the Asia Tigers.
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The Speaker then ordered that the statement be referred for a decision to be made to the committees on education, culture, tourism, and finance.
The referral is intended to allow the Ghana Education Service to adopt the idea of utilizing the language in lower primary or basic education, promote Ghanaian tourism and culture, and take financial considerations into account.
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