Government is making efforts to meet objectives of GIL

Accra, Aug. 26, GNA - Government is aware of the challenges facing the management of Ghana Institute of Languages (GIL) and making efforts to meet the objectives for its establishment, Mr. Alex Tetteh-Enyo, Minister for Education said on Wednesday.

He said some of the challenges were poor accommodation, little space for classrooms and offices and the lack of facilities particularly on the main campus in Accra which had since 1961 shared a four-storey building with other institutions. Mr. Tetteh-Enyo who announced this when swearing-in a 13-member Board of Directors of the Institute in Accra, said plans to provide infrastructure on a new site at Okponglo, Legon had not fully materialized due to lack of funds.

He said the institute was established to promote economic integration and development of Africa and international brotherhood through the teaching of international languages including Arabic, English, French, German, Russia, Spanish and Swahili had produced bilingual secretaries and translators to support economic development and integration.

Mr. Tetteh-Enyo commended the school's management for making the institute a pre-eminent international educational facility geared towards the training of high quality graduates in modern languages that would help promote the integrated economic development in Africa. He noted that over the decades, the institute had not only survived the vicissitudes of time but proved to be resilient and continued to assert itself.

He said it has also played an important role in the training of people in language competencies as well as professional language experts.

Mr Tetteh-Enyo said the institute had expanded and introduced programmes in response to the demands of the market, and currently had various departments.

These are, the School of Languages for teaching of languages, School of Translators for the training of professional translators, School of Bilingual Secretaries for the training of bilingual secretaries, and the translation bureau and research. He noted that products of the institutes were, in responsible positions in the public service in Ghana, trade and industry, embassies, ECOWAS, African Development Bank, the African Union and United Nations. Dr Mawuli Adjei, Chairman of the Board of Directors said they were endowed with competencies that could be harnessed for the benefit of the institute and the educational sector.