Encourage Youth To Learn French Language
The Ashanti Regional Minister, Dr Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, has called on stakeholders in the education sector to encourage the youth to learn the French language to enable them to communicate effectively with neighbouring countries in the sub-region.
He emphasised that the country could not continue to isolate itself from French speaking neighbours, and had therefore urged the Ghana Education Service to make the teaching and learning of the French language paramount.
Dr Agyeman-Manu was speaking at the Annual French Teachers Congress held at the Kumasi Technical Institute (KTI) which was on the theme;
‘The French teacher, an obstacle to teaching and learning of French in Ghana.’ His speech was read on his behalf by Mr T. Nyarko, an Assistant Director of the Regional Administration, Kumasi.
The Regional Minister expressed the hope that the congress would offer the participants, drawn from across the country, the opportunity to review their performance and adopt common and workable strategies that would encourage more students to study the language in the country.
He said the Government recognised their contribution to the development of the country, and expressed the hope that the GES would continue to explore avenues that would support teachers to deliver their mandate.
In her address, a Deputy Director of Education in the Ashanti Region, Madam Gertrude Mensah, said since Ghana was surrounded by Burkina Faso, Togo and Cote D’Ivoire, it was important for the GES to make the learning of the French language second to the English language.
She said it had always been the vision of the Ghana Education Service to make the French language a core subject, explaining that it was relevant to every Ghanaian child.
She urged the participants to contribute in diverse ways to sensitise students to develop keen interest in the learning of the French language by making it interesting and attractive.
The outgoing President of the Ghana Association of French Teachers (GAFT), Mr Evans Kokroko, called on the members to take stock of their strengths and weaknesses as educators of French, and come out with effective strategies that would help enhance the promotion and teaching of the language.
He observed that some French teachers taught the language in a purely unexciting manner, making it difficult for students to appreciate its significance to national development.
He therefore challenged them to make the language more attractive to prospective students.
Mr Kokroko also encouraged the participants to inculcate interest in in-service training among French Teachers as a way of upgrading their teaching skills.
He appealed to the Government through the GES to put in place the necessary measures to enable Mount Mary, Wesley and Bagabaga College produce qualified, competent and confident teachers.