The need for a governmental intervention to support the use of native languages as a medium of instruction at the basic school level has been emphasised by Abla Dzifa Gomashie, Minister of Tourism, Culture, and Creative Arts.

In order to maintain the use of indigenous languages for instruction and learning, she encouraged the Ghana Education Service (GES) and the Minister of Education to offer teachers and educational institutions logistical help.

In a statement given on the floor of Parliament on Friday, February 21, to commemorate this year’s International Mother Language Day, Dzifa Gomashie, the MP for Ketu South, made the request.

This year’s commemoration of the Day’s 25th anniversary serves as a global reminder of the need of promoting mother tongue use and preserving linguistic diversity.

The minister noted that due to urbanisation, globalisation, and their restricted use in formal education and public life, many mother languages were in danger of disappearing.

The minister stated that the intergenerational transfer of the knowledge system and the cultural character of the community were at risk due to the slow decline of the local languages.

She pleaded with the sector minister and the GES to work together to train more teachers to teach the regional languages in classrooms.

“The use of indigenous languages is not only a means of communication but also carries our collective history, traditions and cultural values.

“It is an essential element for preserving our cultural heritage and identity,”  she emphasised.

Ghana is home to over 80 indigenous languages spoken by various ethnic groups across the country.