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Regional News of Friday, 26 March 2010

Source: GNA

Do not feed children with bad spelling and poor grammar-Catholic Teachers

Effiduase (Ash), March 26, GNA - The Association of Catholic Teachers (ACT) in the Ejisu Deanery of the Konongo-Mampong Diocese has lashed out at sign writers for their habitual misspellings and incorrect use of the English language. They said the errors often seen on banners, inscriptions on vehicles and signboards gave cause for concern as this was having a negative influence on the performance of school children. They expressed the sentiment when they met at Effiduase in the Sekyere East District to discuss ways to improve the use of English language in schools.

What makes this disturbing is the fact that these errors are repeated in some television and newspaper advertisement. Reverend Father Jacob Tardie Adomako is the Dean of the Association which recognized the fact that advertisers had their own way of packaging products to attract public consumption, it was important not to underestimate the negative impact of poor grammar on children. "It becomes difficult to correct somebody who has already picked a wrong language usage."

The teachers therefore called on both sign writers and advertisers to work hard to get things right.

They also advised users of mobile phones to ensure that words are spelt correctly when writing text messages. They appealed to the local managers of Catholic schools to ensure strict supervision of the schools to prevent indiscipline. They pledged to team up with the church authorities to maintain high moral standards among students.