Language, education and linguistic human rights in Ghana

Abstract

The use of the familiar language of learners as medium of instruction (MoI) promotes quality education. However, sixty years after independence, Ghana is still grappling with the issue of which language to use in education. Currently, the language policy of education in Ghana mandates the use of the child’s first language as MoI only up to Primary Three. This paper uses both primary and secondary sources to argue that the current language policy violates the Linguistic Human Rights (LHR) of the Ghanaian child. To end this violation, the paper argues for the addition of more L1s as MoI, the cultivation of a positive attitude towards the use of L1 as MoI, the constitutional provision on the obligatory use of L1 as MoI, the establishment of structures to monitor the implementation of the language policy and a sociolinguistic study of language representation in the lower primary classroom.