Teaching and Learning of French in Ghana

French as a foreign language has been taught in Ghanaian schools as far back as I can remember and from interactions with the older generation, teaching and learning of the language started long before my generation was even birth. 

  

French is a compulsory subject in private and public schools from the primary to junior high level and at the High school level it is an elective. At the tertiary level, French is again mandatory for all undergraduates in some select private universities. Then again it is an elective for some programs in some public universities or can be studied as a major.

  

The adoption of French by Ghana, a former British colony as the official foreign language in our educational system is by virtue of the fact that Ghana shares borders with three French speaking countries and also because French is the official language of a greater number of countries within the West African sub region in which Ghana belongs. Besides English, French is also an official language of all United Nations agencies and a large number of international organizations.

Within the sub region, there are eight French speaking countries, five English speaking, Ghana included, one Arabic and two Portuguese. It is interesting to note that Ghana's closest neighbors are French speaking which explains the importance of French to the development of our economy as well as regional integration.

All these notwithstanding, the French language has not enjoyed widespread interest among we Ghanians in my opinion. Take the average school pupil for instance. After having studied French for about six or so years can only manage maybe 

BONJOUR, CAVA? Or   

JE M'APPELLE... 

meaning ...my name is...
Come to think of writing a full page essay.

You will notice that most Ghanaian can speak and understand at least one local language in addition to their mother tongue and the maximum could be three or even more. Some of these local languages are taught as part of the school curriculum but mostly we acquire the skills and mastery of these other local languages as we grow and interact amongst ourselves.  

How else do you think the average Ghanaian could have been able to speak more than one local language and still struggle with French after being taught formally for years?

The solution to this is twofold. Students have a part to play as well as the educational authorities which includes French teachers, schools and education administrators. One’s ability to grasp and gain mastery of spoken and written French will depend on

• What motivates them
• The environment in which they are exposed to
• Influences
• What their aspirations are
• Sheer determination   

The study of French shouldn’t end in the classroom. By continuously interacting with people who are already good in the language, or are native speakers, you stand a greater chance at success.

This is where the authorities come in.By making available exchange opportunities for instance at the early stages of studying French students perspectives are shaped and they are able to put theory into practice.

Fortunately, English is not an isolated language. Rather, it is linked to French, Latin and other European languages by descent or influence. It also absorbed foreign vocabulary in its earlier years; over 50 per cent of English words stem from Latin or French. With common alphabets, structure, and vocabulary, foreign languages like French can be relatively easy for English speakers to learn.

At the end of the day Determination is a key motivator.