‘I have never taught anything’: An investigation of teacher placement and language-in-education policy implementation in Ghana

Abstract

Language proficiency among teachers is undeniably vital for effective teaching and interaction with pupils. Accordingly, policy mandates  teachers at the basic education level to utilise the child’s first language (L1) as the instructional medium to promote effective teaching  and enhance children’s cognitive development. However, reports indicate that some teachers are placed in communities where the  pupils’ L1 is entirely unfamiliar, thus impeding effective interaction. This study aimed to investigate how such misplacement of teachers  affects children’s cognitive development in four districts in the northern regions of Ghana: Bunkpurugu Nankpanduri District (North-East Region), Wa East District – Bulinga (Upper West), Bawku West District, Azuera (Upper East Region) and Pru West District, Prang (Bono East  Region). Employing the snowball sampling method, four teachers (one from each district) participated in this qualitative case study.  The findings reveal that the linguistic gap resulting from this misplacement of teachers significantly impacted instructional effectiveness.  Consequently, teachers were frequently compelled to rely on pupils and colleagues as interpreters, and sometimes resorted to gestures  to facilitate instruction. Despite numerous reports, the Ghana Education Service appears to have overlooked teachers’ challenges. Furthermore, teachers expressed reluctance to learn pupils’ L1 for instructional purposes, citing various reasons. Recommendations are  put forward for policymakers and stakeholders to address these issues.