There are different ethnic groups in Ghana who speak different languages. The language to use in schools has always been a major challenge has to which Ghanaians language should be adopted officially, though English has been widely used in our schools in Ghana. This article has looked at some reasons why the English language has been widely used rather we adopting Ghanaian official local language.
Role of English language in Ghana.
We can’t overemphasize the importance of English language usage in Ghana. The English language has been used as the official language of the country. What this means is that English is the language of government, most communication by the government is done in the English language, it is widely used to perform official functions of government. Government and its agencies use English as their means of communication. The parliament and judiciary communicate in English. This called for the emphasis on the English language in our schools.
The English language unified the country or it is a unifying force of the country. Though Ghana is small it can boast of about thirty ethnic groups with each ethnic group speaking different languages. Therefore, adopting a particular ethnic group language as the official language will be difficult because no single ethnic group will sit down and allow other people’s language to be imposed on them hence the English language binds the people in Ghana together.
The English language makes communication in Ghana very easy. Since people in Ghana speak different languages, the English language helps people to communicate with other ethnic group people without any difficulty. People use English commonly in their communication in Ghana because that is the only way one can understand what message others are trying to convey to them. So, there is a need to emphasize more on English language usage in our schools.
The English language is an international language. The use of the English language in Ghana gives the citizenry the freedom or opportunity to communicate with citizens of the international community. It enables people in Ghana to communicate freely with other people all over the world. It is a fact that English is a widely used or spoken language in the world and the ability of Ghanaians to speak this language is a great gift or asset to the people in the country, so English language usage should be emphasized in our schools.