Ajumako, (Central Region) 9 Jan. '99,

The Ghana Association of French Teachers (GAFT) has appealed to the Ministry of Education to make the study of the French language both a core and an elective subject at the senior secondary school level. The association also called on the ministry to upgrade the Mount Mary Teachers' Training College at Somanya to a diploma awarding institution and allow it to continue to be a special college for the study of the language. In a resolution signed by its president, Mr Alfred Agbeh, GAFT urged the French government to continue supporting the teaching and learning of the language in Ghana. GAFT called for the extension of the duration of in-service training of Mount Mary Teacher Trainees outside Ghana to two months. The resolution said heads of institutions should not be allowed to use their discretion to allow the teaching and study of French in their schools. It said "instead of 360 contact hours, French should be given 800 contact hours of 20 periods a week over the three-year period of the course at Mount Mary College in order to satisfy the required standard".