Teach Pupils their local language, American educationist called on Ghanaian Teachers!

Ms. Malcioln together with the organisers of the program and the beneficiaries

The Deputy Education office Director of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Ms. Yvette Malcioln has called on educational stakeholders to teach pupils their local language to boost and enrich the African culture.

According to her, learning in the mother tongue is integral and it preserves individual’s culture thus aid in comprehension.

Ms. Malcioln addressing the participants

“Learning in the mother tongue first is very important and it is the key part of the learning process. It makes it harder and it takes longer time for children to become fluent readers when they learn in English which is not their first language but it is much easier to learn the basis in their mother tongue, for this language that they speak at home helps them to understand and read fluently,” she said.

• Ms. Malcioln said this at a reading competition held in Accra by Infinity 970 and FHI Learning in collaboration with USAID and the Ministry of Education.

Ms. Malcioln giving an award to one of the winners

Dubbed “Read for Life” the programme seeks to unearth the talent of pupils and help them to cultivate the habit of reading.

The competition engaged pupils of La Nkwantanang circuit of schools to compete for a prize.

The winners took home exercise books, reading materials, pack of pencils and crayons.

Participants reading

The La Nkwantanang Municipal Director of Education, Mr. Peter Namba Ngala indicated that the Ministry of Education and USAID joined forces to promote the reading of the local dialect since it has been relegated.

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He further stated that even when tutors are teaching pupils Ghanaian language in school they mix the language with English therefore the programme would improve teaching and learning of the local language in various schools.

To ensure consistency in reading among children, Mr. Michael Kwabla Odonkor, the Head teacher of Tenashie Junior High School entreated the Ministry of Education to build libraries in communities and schools for children to get access to books at all times to read.

Mr. Odonkor giving an award to one of the winners

He lauded Infinity 970 for organising the programme to enlighten pupils on the right part of acquiring good grades, certificate and improving education in Ghana.

“We are happy that infinity 970 is leading this read for life campaign and providing incentives for talented kids. I must say the pupils are enlightened and I know they will never stop reading but each and every day they will read to build on their reading ability. I request that the organisation should extend the programme nationwide for every child to be aware and know the essence of reading,” he said.

Ms. Davies presenting an award to one of the beneficiaries

The Executive Director of Infinity 970, Ms Babra Davies pledged that her outfit would continue to support schools and children to foster reading and help pupils to unleash their talents to help boost the government’s dream of giving every child a chance to have quality education adding that “pupils must expose themselves to new ways of learning since it will open their minds to see bigger horizons of life and secure a better position for them in future.”

By Joyceline Natally Cudjoe

GIJ Students protest over unfair treatment by the Institute's authority

Students who protested at the school

Students of Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ) today embarked on demonstration to demand a fair treatment from the authorities of the school.

Dressed in black and red, the aggrieved students threw tables and chairs on some securities at the forecourt after the authorities denied them access to examination hall over online registration.

 According to the protesters both students who fully paid their tuition fees and those who paid more than half of the fees were all barred from taking part in the examination due to their inability to carry on with electronic registration.

Explaining why they did not register online, some said they thought it was unimportant whilst others stated that the e-registration was complex and never did it occur to them that it would have dire consequences on their legibility to partake in examination.

However, some authorities from the school’s administration acknowledged that the students had completed a manual registration before the examination date on Saturday which qualified them to join those who successfully registered online.

Speaking with the demonstrators, they described the decision taken by the institute as “in human, harsh and unfair,” adding that “our future is being played with and all our preparation towards this examination is gradually becoming useless.”

They lamented that their tuition was quite expensive and based on the current economic hardship of the country, the rector had to make them pay 60/40 percentage which had been the norm over the years.

The unsatisfied students accused the new rector and further stated that  he was behind their plight therefore government should intervene to ensure justice is served for them to write their examination without any interference in order for them to boast as graduates in some few years to come.

Students who qualified and wrote the examination, in an interview with Joyceline Natally Cudjoe posited that the institute was demanding too much from them.

"Some of my friends who only owed 100 cedis were sacked from the hall as well as those whose school's ID were missing," they opined.

According to an MA student, the agreement was for every fresh student to pay 70percent of the total fees and register online after online registration they had to present a printed document as evidence of their online registration for inspection during examination which the demonstrators failed to do.

But the undergraduate protestors also argued that the school demanded full tuition.

Meanwhile the school was later closed down and the afternoon papers were cancelled as the issue was sent to court by the school’s SRC.

Alice Okyere expressed worry that the demonstrators should have sent petition earlier for their grievances to be addressed before examination day, saying “it is pathetic for our papers to be cancelled and we have to relearn to write the exams after the issue is resolved.”

Report by Joyceline Natally Cudjoe