Sustaining literacy from mother tongue instruction in complementary education into official language of instruction in government schools in Ghana

Emma Carter, Ricardo Sabates, Pauline Rose and Kwame Akyeampong

International Journal of Educational Development, 2020, vol. 76, issue C

Abstract: This paper presents evidence on literacy trajectories for children in Ghana who enrolled in a Complementary Basic Education programme taught in mother tongue and transitioned into government schools. At the point of transition, we find that children who enrolled in government schools where the language of instruction differed from instruction in their mother tongue did not perform as well in literacy. After a year in government schools, those taught in another local language caught up. By contrast, those who transitioned into English did not. Our evidence reinforces the benefits of mother tongue and local language instruction for progress in literacy.

Keywords: Mother tongue; Alternative education; Out of school; Literacy; Ghana (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:injoed:v:76:y:2020:i:c:s0738059319306066

DOI: 10.1016/j.ijedudev.2020.102195

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