Pedagogic language policy in Ghana and its implementation in primary schools: The case of Ketu Education District

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to find out whether primary school teachers in both public and private primary schools in the Ketu Education District of the Volta Region of Ghana comply with government policy on language use and language teaching in their schools. The policy itself was examined to see if it is fraught with any problems that make its implementation difficult. A sample of 352 respondents was drawn from teachers and pupils in 44 selected primary schools (35 public and 9 private schools) in the district. The data were collected through the use of questionnaires for teachers and an interview schedule for pupils. Tabular representations, percentages, frequencies, t-test and the chi-square test were the main statistical techniques u.;ed to analyse the data. Most of the teachers in the district could read and write the local language of the area. Moreover, quite a good number of them studied a Ghanaian language at the teacher training college. This notwithstanding, majority of the teachers, even including those in the lower primary schools, either used the English language or mixed medium in teaching their pupils. In fact, for vicious reason they preferred to use the English medium throughout the primary school even though their first language was not different from that of the pupils they taught Teachers in the private schools were more consistent in this.