Mandatory French Studies: A Good Move but …

Efforts by the Government to make French studies compulsory for junior high school pupils is a pragmatic move. People who speak multiple languages have several advantages in a global environment, since they interact better with people from other cultures. Even in old age, the brain of the multi-tongued remains more alert than that of those who speak one language only. The fact that Ghana shares all four borders with French neighbours makes the move politically, socio-economically expedient, but the move should constitute part of the Nation’s Educational and Language Policies.

Indeed, the initiators must know that the smooth acquisition of a Third Language (L₃₎ will hinge a bit on a solid foundation of First Language (L₁) and Second Language (L₂). But the fact is that our educational system has completely botched the L₁ and L₂ policy over the past decades, which failure has impacted negatively on the entire learning system, culminating in mass mediocrity and underachievement. If we had handled the language policy successfully, French would not be an issue now. In fact, a smooth system existed during the O’ Level days, when students painlessly commenced learning French in secondary form one. At the time, some well-endowed basic schools introduced pupils to French.

It is rather bizarre that Ghana has handled language learning so abysmally, for even in the colonial days, the educational system advocated formative learning in the mother tongue (L₁). That remains a sound principle. Contemporary studies have proved that pupils who learn to read in the home language or mother tongue have better achievement scores in English. Based on that sound principle, a Ghanaian child is supposed to be taught in the L₁ from class one to three, while studying English as a subject. A switch is made in class four where English becomes the medium of expression and the L₁ becomes a subject. Of course, the parents play the primary role of ensconcing the infant in the mother tongue, even before birth.

Somehow, Ghanaians have managed to muddle that fundamental process of language acquisition such that many parents now introduce their infants to English rather than the mother tongue. Ironically, most of these parents do not even have a firm grasp of the language, so they only manage to speak bad English with their children. What is worse, some teachers in the primary classrooms are not proficient in any of the six local languages. In effect, such children are deprived of the rich first tongue which could endow them with a firm worldview, yet they can only gabble in English. Therefore, they neither have L₁ or L₂. A generation that hovers so precariously between L₁ and L₂ would be lost in the stream of L₃. So if we really want to succeed with French, we must smoothen the acquisition processes for L₁ and L_2. Yet, a more pressing reason remains.

Our utmost target as a nation should be achieving the primary objective of basic education: Laying the foundation for effective communication, critical thinking and innovative learning. The World Economic Forum report, New Vision for Education: Fostering Social and Emotional Learning through Technology, states that there is increase in expansion of schools and access to school, yet there is very little learning. Ghana is a glaring example. If one considers the number of subjects being studied by pupils and the enormous amount of time spent on teaching them, Ghana should be brimming with geniuses. Yet, increasingly, tertiary institutions are getting students who can barely read or write intelligible English and who barely comprehend text, let alone critically analyse issues. Even some degree holders struggle painfully with the English Language.

So the national target should be ensuring that quality teaching and learning actually occur in primary education, preparing learners for 21^st Century learning. To achieve that objective, basic schools must help pupils to acquire six Foundational Literacies, the Report emphasised: “Literacy, Numeracy, Scientific literacy, ICT literacy, Financial literacy, Cultural and civic literacy”. The good news is that, these are already targets of the primary curriculum; the bad news is that the targets continue to elude us, and adding French is not going to rectify the situation.

Ghanaian pupils are already bogged down with so many subjects; they virtually live in the classroom, judging by the time they spend attending classes and extra-classes, with increasing poor results. There is urgent need for a move that will propel us toward achieving the Foundational Literacies. The fact is that Ghana could strategize to achieve the six Literacies through five subjects: Language (mother tongue and English), Mathematics, Science, ICT, Civic and cultural studies. Of course, the Inspectorate Division must be made to perform its monitoring function to ensure that teaching and learning actually occur. Pupils ought to be given ample time to study, reflect and play creatively. Even pivotal is placing only professional teachers in the formative classrooms. Teacher commitment is crucial in nurturing children’s potential. The parent’s role must not be glossed.

If fundamental steps were taken to overhaul primary education in Ghana, as the White Paper for the 2007 Educational Reform recommended, pupils would be prepared intellectually, culturally and socially for L₃, and this could commence either in the junior or senior high school. In other words, adding French to the plethora of subjects currently on the basic school syllabus will be a bad move. If that initiative got implemented now, the only beneficiaries would be French authors and publishers who would sell French books, and French teachers who would organise extra French classes to extort money from overburdened parents.

The President and the Minister of Education ought to move cautiously with this compulsory French initiative. It is a laudable move for learners’ versatility and bilateral relations, but if it is not planned and executed meticulously, it would merely further replete scarce resources, disempower rather than empower learners. On the contrary, the move could be made so seamlessly if we strictly enforced the existing language policy, and actually prioritised language learning. If we took certain necessary steps before implementing this policy, we would be targeting quality learning and teaching. We would be targeting internalisation of the languages. We would actually strengthen formative learning, and motivate parents and teachers to develop proper appreciation for language and learning.

Goldenberg, a US researcher has asserted that school children whose language learning is not structured accurately end up as poor communicators, who tend to be underachievers, whom any nation can ill-afford. Recently, Ghanaians have witnessed how gravely poor communicators can cost the Nation. That embarrassment should help all to appreciate the importance of language in life, and it all begins from the formative years. A research desk must be created within the Language Section of the Curriculum Research & Development Division to track the performance of pupils, determine the reasons for poor performance and determine effective ways to rectify such. Most importantly, the Section must be excellently resourced in personnel. In short, language issues in education must be firmly guided by quality teaching, research and effective monitoring, not by political goodwill.

Where education is concerned, it is time we stopped placing the cart before the horse, because every time educational changes are based on political enthusiasm, generations lose rather than gain, the ultimate loser being the nation. There is opportunity to bring committed language experts together for holistic planning and execution. Professor Kwasi Yankah is already seconded to the Ministry of Education. The immediate past Minister of Education is passionate about teaching children in the mother tongue. Others in language classrooms share her passion. It is about time committed language teachers took a firm stand for quality language teaching/learning. We ought to revisit the language policy and hone it into a dynamic guide that would sustainably cater for language acquisition — and learning in general.

Yes, it is time the Nation acknowledged the pivotal role of language in learning. Every teacher in basic and secondary education be must be proficient in, at least, one local Language, so s/he can teach learners. Instead of making French studies compulsory for pupils, let us first revisit and enforce the Language Policy in order to streamline language learning. Only then can we strengthen the entire educational system for excellent human resource development.