Winneba (C/R), March 31, GNA - The Dean of the Faculty of Languages of the University of Education, Winneba, Professor Emmanuel Nicholas Abekah, has stated that the language teacher plays a significant role in national development. He explained that professionals such as the teacher, politician, lawyer and the President with his Ministers of State, among other individuals who contribute to national development all use language as a medium of communication. Prof. Abekah said this at a durbar to mark the Faculty's week celebration at the University of Education, Winneba. The theme for the occasion was, "The Role of the language Teacher in National Development". Prof. Abekah said any development that takes place in any nation is executed with language, adding that, without the tool of language teachers, no nation can experience any kind of development. According to the Dean, teachers generally train the manpower for their nations but language teachers arm students with the tool of communication and a business.

He said it is as a result of the efforts of the language teacher that the individual master the relevant language as a tool to enable them read on their own for any piece of information of any description. Dr Abekah said having acquired a language, the individual enters the university and other institutions to read all kinds of academic disciplines and begin to contribute their quota to national development. He blamed teachers in public schools for not doing much to train their children to attain striking proficiency in English. Dr Abakah observed that reading, which used to be the bedrock of studies in the past, is no longer encouraged by the language teacher because the teacher himself or herself was not exposed to the culture of reading. He asked language teachers to make reading attractive to students by guiding them to read interesting stories from books and journals to improve their language.