In a historic milestone for the people of the Upper East Region, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA) has officially approved Gurene as an examinable language for the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) and the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
In an exclusive interview on Gumzang FM’s morning show, “Beogey Tengmaalug Sohug,” the President of the Gurene Language Development Association (GULDA), Mr. Aduko Patrick A., revealed that the formal directive has been issued to the West African Examinations Council (WAEC).
For over two decades, the absence of Gurene in national examinations acted as a bottleneck for student development in the region. Mr. Aduko noted that because Ghana’s Education system is heavily “exam-oriented,” the language had previously been sidelined.
“It was something that pulled us back for over 20 years,” Mr. Aduko stated. “Teachers were not active because the subject wasn’t examined. Now, our students and pupils are free to prepare.”
Addressing the diversity of the Frafra people, comprising the Talen, Nabt, Nankan, and Gurene dialects, Mr. Aduko explained why Gurene was selected as the standard for examination. He used a powerful local analogy to describe the selection:
If there are five brothers in a family and one is enskinned as a Chief, he remains their brother, but he is honored with a higher administrative status.
Gurene has served as the central language for administration and business in the region for years. While it is a dialect like the others, it has been “promoted” to serve as the academic standard.
In areas like Talen-teng, teachers are encouraged to speak the local dialect (Talen) for oral instruction, but students must be taught to write in the standardized Gurene orthography for their exams.
Mr. Aduko dismissed concerns that Gurene would increase the workload for students. Under the new curriculum, Gurene is already integrated into the “Language and Culture” subject.
“It is not coming as a new subject. It is already there,” he clarified. “The only issue was that we were not teaching it effectively because it wasn’t being examined.”
The GULDA President called on several key groups to ensure the success of this rollout:
Embrace this as an opportunity for children to cement their cultural identity. “Your language and culture prove who you are,” he emphasized.
The excuse of “it’s not examinable” is gone. Teachers trained in Gurene should no longer be forced to teach other subjects.
As keepers of the language through Bible translations, religious groups are urged to support the standardized orthography (writing system).
Mr. Aduko, who is also a Lecturer in St John Boscos College of Education, concluded by challenging the stigma that local language studies are for the “less capable.”
“I am a lecturer… it is about interest and wanting to support your people. Let’s dismiss the idea that only those who can’t do other courses study our language.”