By Elizabeth Larkwor Baah, GNA
Nungua, Jan. 28, GNA — Residents of Nungua in the Greater Accra Region have expressed strong support for calls to make the teaching and learning of Ga and Dangme compulsory in all basic schools within the region.
The residents said introducing a compulsory local language education, would help protect the cultural identity of the Ga-Dangme people, while strengthening pupils’ academic foundation.
They told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in a random survey that preserving language was not only a cultural duty but also an educational investment, that would benefit both present and future generations in the Greater Accra Region.
Mr Joe Nii Ashaley, a driver at Nungua, said language was central to identity and community continuity, noting that children needed to grow to understand the language of the land on which they lived otherwise they would lose their roots.
“The Ga and Dangme languages are disappearing among the youth, and schools are the best place to correct this,” he stated.
Madam Felicia Lamptey, a shop owner, explained that research had shown that children learn better when taught in a familiar language; as such, making Ga and Dangme compulsory would support learning, especially at the early stages.
“When pupils understand concepts in their mother tongue, it improves comprehension and confidence,” she added.
Mr Joseph Tetteh, a parent of three, said the cosmopolitan nature of Greater Accra should not be used as a reason to sideline indigenous languages.
“People move to other regions, and their children learn Twi, Ewe or Dagbani without complaint; the same should apply here. If you choose to live in Greater Accra, your children should learn Ga or Dangme,” he argued.
Ms Abigail Ofori, a teacher, also supported the proposal, noting that many young people could neither speak nor understand the local languages.
“We sing Ga songs and recite poems only during festivals, so making the language compulsory will normalise its use and make young people proud of who they are,” she said.
Mr Samuel Nartey, another teacher, warned that failure to act could lead to the gradual extinction of the languages.
“Language loss is real, so if schools do not take responsibility, future generations may only know Ga-Dangme culture from books, not lived experience,” he cautioned.
Madam Comfort Sena Fetrie, a media professional, emphasised the need for the Greater Accra House of Chiefs to adopt a deliberate and proactive approach to ensuring that Ga and Dangme were made compulsory subjects in schools across the Greater Accra Region.
Drawing on her personal experience, Madam Fetrie explained that having lived and worked in the Northern Region for some time, enabled her and her family to gain a functional understanding of the local language of the area.
She noted that this was largely because indigenous languages were taught compulsorily in schools in that region and that practice contributed significantly to language retention and cultural continuity.
“I am a pure Ewe, but I speak the Ga language fluently because I had the opportunity of schooling at Osu, a Ga community, when I was a child,” she stated.
She therefore stressed that the Ga people must equally assert themselves to ensure that anyone who relocated to the Greater Accra Region understood that their children would be required to learn Ga and Dangme in school.
She further reiterated that the cosmopolitan nature of Greater Accra should not be used as a justification for allowing dominant languages to overshadow or replace indigenous ones.
Madam Korkor Tetteh, a businesswoman, expressed concern that the apparent decline in the teaching of Ga could be a deliberate attempt to marginalise and eventually erase the language.
She added that there might be trained Ga language teachers who were posted to other regions instead of being retained within Greater Accra, and if teachers posted to the region were non-Ga speakers, schools would be compelled to teach other languages rather than the indigenous language of the area.
Madam Tetteh warned that if the trend was not urgently addressed, it could contribute to the gradual extinction of the Ga and Dangme languages.
However, other people, were of the view that Greater Accra, was a cosmopolitan area and the language of the people should not be imposed on people.
GNA
Edited by Laudia Anyorkor Nunoo/ Christabel Addo