Here's another recent results of experiments showing again that children are better taught in local languages.
I think local and national languages should be used in all level of education in Africa. Like it is done elsewhere in the world: Europe, Finland, Sweden, Italy, Japan, Korea, China etc. ------------------------------------------------ NALAP: Children Comprehend Better When Taught In Local Languages Than In English Date: 16-Sep-2010 Practical experience and results so far gathered from the implementation of the National Literacy Acceleration Programme (NALAP) have confirmed that children in lower primary comprehend better when taught in the Local Languages than in English. NALAP is a programme developed by the GES to be implemented in all primary schools in Ghana during the 2009/2010 academic year. Under the NALAP, teachers in the lower primary levels thus from KG One (1) to Primary Three (P3), are to use the mother tongue of the children to teach them. So far, 11 local languages have been approved by the GES for the NALAP. These local languages include Asante Twi, Akuapem Twi, Nzema, Ga, Dangme, Ewe, Dagaare, Gonja and Kasem. In a recent interaction with a Media Advocacy Task Force set up to educate and inform the public more about the programme, the Director of Curriculum Research and Development Division of the GED, Mrs. Sarah Agyeman-Duah, explained that so far since the implementation of the programme begun last year, results gathered indicate that children in lower primary understand better and contribute more in class when their mother tongue is use as the medium of instruction and questioning. She mentioned that one of the major objectives of the programme is using the local language to make learning easier for children at their development stages and also helping them to read and write both in their mother tongue and in English. According to her, results from various assessment tests over the years have amply demonstrated the weak reading and low achievement levels of primary pupils. She added that these low outcomes of pupils have been undermining the quality of the entire education system and limiting the socio-economic development prospects of the country. She was so optimistic that the introduction of local languages for teaching at the lower primary level will generally improve early teaching and learning. http://news.peacefmonline.com/education/201009/82734.php
