The Association of Bolgatanga, Nangodi, Bongo and Tongo (BONABOTO) in the Upper West Region has embarked on a demonstration to demand the approval of the Gurune language as an examinable subject at the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).
[contextly_sidebar id=”lazZGLgonsCJNCU9zvsud3RY8X9IO2yK”]Gurune is one of the languages spoken by the Frafras and according to the group, the Gurune language has met all the criteria for it to be approved by the Ghana Education Service and the Ministry of Education adding that various efforts to press home their demand has proved futile.
The Public Relations Officer for BONABOTO, Stanley Abopam told Citi News, making the subject an examinable one will help promote the cultural heritage of the Frafras.
He said they have enough teaching and learning materials as well as teachers and examiners saying, “we have followed all the diplomatic and bureaucratic procedures by the appropriate authorities to get the Gurune language approved but unfortunately that hasn’t materialized and nobody is explaining to us what is holding them from approving the language.”
Mr Abopam insisted that the Gurune language is being studied at five (5) different teacher-training colleges in the country and the University of Education hence the need to make it “an L1 fundamental language” for children in the BONABOTO areas.
Mr. Abopam stated that, BONABOTO have provided the Ghana Education Service and the Ministry of Education with all the necessary documents’ required for the approval of the GURUNE language.
The demonstrators’ matched through the principal streets of Bolgatanga and later presented a petition through the Regional Minister, James Zugah Tiigah to the Minister of Education Prof. Naana Jane Opoku Aygemang and government.
In a related development, the Minister of Education, Prof. Naana Jane Opoku Aygemang has asked heads and teachers of basic schools to use local languages in teaching.
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By: Frederick Awuni/citifmonline.com/Ghana