The Ghanaian national language-in-education policy recommends that a local language be used as language-of-instruction in the first three years of primary schooling and that there is a complete switch to English in Grade 4. In spite of this policy, a number of studies have documented the persistent use of English as the sole medium of instruction throughout primary school (Erling et al, 2016) and, in relation to this, continued low learning outcomes, particularly for students from linguistic and ethnic minorities (Darvas and Balwanz, 2014).
To explore the tension between local language and English use in Ghanaian primary schools, we undertook fieldwork in four schools in the Greater Accra Region, as well as interviews with 25 teachers, head teachers and education officials. In this paper, we present findings that reveal major practical factors contributing to the use of English, such as growing diversity and multilingualism in urban areas and widespread use of English in textbooks and assessment. However, we also find that attitudinal factors play a significant role: While English is associated with the elite, education and economic development, local languages tend to be perceived as inappropriate for educational contexts, business or as being backwards.
Unless strategies are developed to counter these attitudes, and to communicate evidence of the value of local language-medium instruction (both for learning and economic development), English will remain the dominant language of education and thus perpetuate inequalities. We therefore conclude with recommendations to help close the gap between official language-in-education policies and pedagogic practices in Ghanaian primary schools, including grounding policies in sociolinguistic realities and promoting pedagogic practices which draw on both local languages and English to support access to the curriculum, high-quality education and effective language learning.
