Professional Bio

Edwin Dartey is a dual-title Ph.D. candidate in Applied Linguistics and African Studies. His research interests include language policy and planning, multilingualism, African philosophical concepts, decolonial, and Southern epistemologies.

Edwin’s dissertation explores how societal factors such as socio-economic status, coloniality, cultural norms and indigenous knowledge systems impact Southern multilingual practices and educational outcomes in Ghanaian elementary schools. Despite students’ proficiency in multiple languages, educational policies prioritize monolingual English instruction, neglecting the linguistic repertoire of students. The prioritization affects students’ ability to properly transition to a foreign language medium of education in elementary contexts. The project draws on African philosophical concepts, Southern and decolonial theories to propose alternative ways of re-envisioning educational language policies in Ghana.