School Of Languages Holds Conference On Multilingualism

Participants at the first School of Languages Conference

The School of Languages, University of Ghana, in collaboration with the Language Centre and the Central University College recently held a three-day conference on the theme Multilingualism in the African Context: Resource or Challenge?

The Conference also featured a colloquium on the use of mother tongue as a medium of instruction in schools in contemporary Ghana. The Conference was the first since the School of Languages was established in the 2013/2014 academic year.  The Conference brought together over 200 language scholars from many tertiary institutions in the country as well as 12 other countries in various parts of Africa, Europe and North America.

Dean of the School of Languages, Prof. Nana Aba Appiah Amfo delivering the welcome address

In her welcome address at the opening ceremony, the Dean of the School of Languages, Prof. Nana Aba Appiah Amfo noted that multilingualism is part of what defines the African continent, hence the need to deliberate on the challenges and opportunities it brings to our continent. She lauded the role of the Language Centre and the Central University College in the organisation of the conference.

The President of Central University College, Professor Kwesi Yankah, addressing participants

The President of the Central University College and former Pro-Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Professor Kwesi Yankah traced the history of collaboration between the Central University College and the University of Ghana, and assured all of his determination to deepen the collaboration.  A Professor of Linguistics,  Prof. Yankah expressed delight at the fact that a few months after the conference organising committee chose the use of mother tongue in education as a theme for its colloquium, the Minister of Education triggered a debate with her expression of the government’s determination to strengthen the policy on the use of the mother tongue as a medium of instruction. This coincidence, he noted, made the colloquium all the more relevant.

From left to right, Prof. Nana Aba Amfo, Dean of the School of Languages; Prof. Tope Omoniyi, Keynote Speaker; and Prof. Samuel Agyei-Mensah Provost of the College of Humanities

Prof. Tope Omoniyi, a Professor of Sociolinguistics from Roehampton University, UK and a UG-Carnegie African Diasporan Fellow, delivered the keynote address on the theme of the conference. He noted that contrary to popular belief, multilingualism in Africa is a resource, not a problem, adding that while Africa only has one-seventh of the world’s population, the over 2000 languages spoken on the continent makes it home to one-third of the world’s languages. This he said, gives Africans a comparative advantage, given the crucial role of language in development. The challenge faced by Africans, he said, is how to harness that resource for greater integration and development.

 

Dr. Gordon Adika, Director of the Language Centre (left) and Professor Kwesi Yankah, President of Central University College (right)

The colloquium on the language of education brought together stakeholders in education, including academics, educationists, policy experts and parents to deliberate on Ghana’s mother tongue policy in schools and to assess its relevance to the educational system.  While agreeing with the relevance of the policy, discussants underscored the need to take measures to address the challenges bedevilling the policy.  They also emphasised the need to make the policy more inclusive by embracing more Ghanaian languages and making room for the use of more than one language within schools in multilingual urban areas.

Over 100 parallel and two plenary presentations were made during the three-day conference, touching on all aspects of language and literature including language in multilingual settings, language teaching and learning, language in education, language policy and planning and language use in various domains such as politics, business and religion.

 

From left to right, Dean of the School of Languages, Prof. Nana Aba A. Amfo, President of Central University College, Professor Kwesi Yankah, Minister of Education, Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyeman, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Academic and Student Affairs), Prof. Kwame Offei and Provost of the College of Humanities, Prof. Samuel Agyei-Mensah

 

The closing ceremony was witnessed by the Minister of Education, the Professor Naana Jane Opoku Agyeman, who gave a brief statement on the language of education policy.

Watch Hon. Prof Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang statement on YouTube - https://youtu.be/TPaYs6C1lOE

The closing ceremony was chaired by the Pro-Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs Professor Kwame Offei.

Also present at the opening and closing ceremonies were the Provost of the College of Humanities, Professor Samuel Agyei-Mensah, the Provost of the College of Education, Rev. Professor Cephas Omenyo, a former Pro-Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Abena Dolphyne, a Professor of Linguistics.   

Nana Asaase, a poet, presenting a performance at the opening ceremony

 

A cross-section of students and faculty from the School of Languages at the conference