Former President John Dramani Mahama says the next National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration will consider local language as a medium of instruction for pupils, from kindergarten ((KG) to basic three.
He was speaking on Friday at a pre-tertiary policy dialogue with the various teacher unions, comprising National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), Coalition of Concerned Teachers, Ghana (CCT-GH), and Teachers and Educational Workers Union (TEWU) at the NAGRAT headoffice, Accra.
Former President Mahama told the members of the unions that the policy on use of local language would be considered alongside the training of more teachers in the major Ghanaian languages to make the implementation of the policy effective.
The NDC flagbearer for the 2024 General Election, noted that children learn faster when the medium of instruction is conducted in their mother tongue.
Former President Mahama said the education sector was at a crossroads and the best way to address the challenges was through dialogue with key stakeholders, who were at the centre of the implementation of policies, and not through suppression of free speech, victimisation and intimidation.
He said the next NDC administration will complete abandoned educational infrastructure programmes, in addition to provision of good quality education.
The former President told the teacher unions and associations that their demands were aligned with the NDC manifesto, and that the NDC would continue to take into account inputs of the unions when formulating educational policies.
He said that the NDC agrees with the unions on the need to establish libraries in basic schools, to inculcate the culture of reading in pupils, which was gradually diminishing in basic schools.
Touching on challenges facing the implementation of the Free Senior High School (FSHS) policy, former President Mahama said the review of the policy was no longer debatable, and gave the assurance that the NDC would reform the policy, to make it better.
In addition, the former President said the NDC would integrate the Free SHS Secretariat into the education service directorate.
Former President Mahama said posting of teachers should be done equitably across the country on the needs of the schools.
The President of NAGRAT, Mr Eric Angel Carbonu, called for proper compensation of teachers.
He said the teacher licensure examination should be integrated into the educational curriculum.
Mr Carbonu said that those who would pass their examinations at the training institutions, should not be made to sit for the licensure examinations.
He noted that the deployment of teachers was bedeviled with challenges, and said there was the need to provide attractive facilities as well as special allowance for those who would be posted to deprived communities.
BY MALIK SULLEMANA
