By Edzorna Francis Mensah
Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, MP for Ellembele has called on the Ministry of Education, Ghana Education Service and other stakeholders in the education sector for the inclusion of Nzema Language in the curriculum of Colleges of Education in the Western Region to train teachers of Nzema for Nzema schools.
According to him, it is a matter of worry worth noting that despite the high level of development of the language, interest in the teaching and learning of the language in our educational institutions is waning drastically. Consequently, students who study Nzema as an elective subject at the SHS level keep on reducing over the years.
He said, one of the reasons that has resulted in disinterest in the learning of the language is the lack of qualified teachers of Nzema at the basic level which is the foundation-building stage in the language learning process as he said, “things are not working because, the University of Education, Ajumako campus, produces only a handful of qualified graduates in the language every year which is not enough for the numerous schools. Even the few graduates who pass out have not been employed and are at home”.
Another key he raised was that, apart from the few products who graduate from Ajumako, there are no products of the Nzema language from the Colleges of Education and “these are products that are supposed to teach the language effectively at the basic level. Though Nzema is the major Ghanaian language studied at the basic level in the Western Region, it is not included in the curriculum of the three Colleges of Education in the Western Regions.
As a result, Nzema students who desire to study the language in any of these institutions are compelled to study either Mfantse or Twi at the expense of their preferred Nzema. The lack of teachers to teach the language at the basic level has generally affected the performance of the schools. This poor performance at the basic level has caused a lack of interest and confidence in the students to pursue the language at the SHS level”.
The MP in a statement on “the problems confronting the promotion and development of the Nzema language” read on the floor of parliament submitted that, the Nzema language is one of the 11 local languages in the curriculum of the Basic and Senior High School levels. The language is examinable at both the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) and the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) levels organised by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC).
It is also one of the languages studied at the University of Education Winneba, Ajumako campus. Scholars who have passed through this institution and other reputable Universities in Ghana and abroad have researched extensively into the language and have produced a lot of research materials and publications. This shows that the language does not lack Literature which is a plus for a developed language.
He however noted that he and the other two Members of Parliament from Evalue Ajomoro Dwira and Jomoro constituencies together with the chiefs, elders, the Nzema Language Committee and other relevant stakeholders are concerned about the state of the Nzema language, and therefore made some recommendations for the consideration of the Ministry of Education, the Ghana Education Service and the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts:
The non-employment of Nzema language graduates to teach the language extensively at the Basic and Senior High School levels should be addressed; Teachers of the Nzema language should be posted to Nzema schools where they can teach the local language effectively instead of posting them to non-Nzema areas and vice versa; The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, the mother Ministry of BGL should staff the Ga, Akuapem, Mfantse and Nzema sections of the Agency to provide the needed language services; The Language Committees should be resourced adequately to be functional to meet their mandates.
