Abstract:
‘‘Clear grounding in a location gives us the confidence to engage with knowledge from
other locations as we deconstruct and reconstruct them with our purposes’’ (Canagarajah,
2005, p. 15). This quote serves the basis of what this paper presents on language policy and
pedagogical practices in Ghana. Language plays an important role in pedagogy, it is the
medium through which concepts are thought, learned and also assessed. The use of foreign
language as a medium of instruction in multilingual classroom is often characterized by a
number of challenges. This paper reports of a study which sort to explore headteachers’
and teachers’ knowledge about the Ghanaian medium of instruction policy and how this
policy is being applied in Ghanaian schools. Interviews were carried out with 10
headteachers selected from 10 schools. Qualitative analysis of the results revealed what
appeared to be gaps between what the policy says and what the research participants do in
their schools. Implication for these gaps between policy and practice on students’ learning
outcomes is discussed to inform future policies in Ghana and other Sub-Saharan Africa that
have similar situation as in Ghana.
