Ghanaian Language Made Optional In 2024 BECE
The Ghanaian Language has been made optional for third-year students who will sit for the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) this year.
The development came to light during a briefing on the 2024 BECE by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) for stakeholders earlier this week.
This means that the candidates will sit for Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, English Language, Creative Arts, Computing, Career Technology and Religious and Moral Education (RME) as compulsory subjects while they will have to choose between Arabic, French or any of the 11 Ghanaian Languages in the Exam.
The affected Ghanaian languages include Akuapem Twi, Asante Twi, Dagaare, Dagbani, Dangme, Ewe, Fante, Ga, Gonja, Kasem and Nzema.
The development follows a recent lamentation by the country’s parliament about the dying local languages during which Member of Parliament for North Tongu Constituency, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, decried reprisal actions meted out to school children who speak the local language in schools.
He referenced a United Nations Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) report that nearly 3,000 of the 7,000 languages spoken across the globe were on the verge of total extinction.
The decision to make the Ghanaian languages optional subjects in the BECE has garnered fierce condemnation from a section of the country.
One person reacting on Facebook, said: “This is bad!”
“Confused country. Wait for at least two years and see what will happen. What is the relevance of the creative art as compared to the Ghanaian languages,” another held.
“What kind of mentality is this one?”
“Ghanaian language is an option? Who taught us to hate ourselves like that? I mean how should we run away from being us as Asantes, Nzemas, Ewes, Gas etc? Shm”
“And Parliament is thinking about making ways for the use of our Ghanaian languages on the floor of parliament for inclusive participation in public policy discourse ???? A country with actions and counter-actions. Just like, embarking on a digitization drive but making data cost very expensive. Promoting cashless economy but tax online transactions heavily.”
“I sincerely think making GL an optional subject is wrong. We are undermining our identity.”
The 2024 BECE will take place from Monday, July 8 to Friday, July 12.
