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The Association of people of the Bolgatanga, Nangodi, Bongo and Tongo (BONABOTO) traditional areas of Upper East Region, has petitioned the President to ensure that the �Gurune� Language becomes an examinable subject in local basic schools. Gurune is spoken in some parts of the Upper East Region. Presenting the petition to the Regional Minister, Mr James Tiigah, on behalf of the Association, the National President of BONABOTO, Mr Lance Adua Adoguba, said a number of efforts made by stakeholders including traditional rulers and renowned educationists to the Minister of Education (MoE) and Ghana Education Service (GES) to approve the �Gurune� Language as an examinable subject in the curriculum of the basic schools had proved futile. The Association said the Gurune Language is technically advanced and meets the requirements of an examinable language in Ghana as per the national school curriculum. The petition said currently there are more than 200 trained Gurune Language Specialists from the University of Education, Winneba, a number of Gurune teachers from the five colleges of Education and teaching and learning materials including a dictionary �We find it extremely unfair that despite the financial, intellectual and material resources invested into the development of the Language, it is still non-examinable at the basic schools. In congruence with the Government Policy of the LI (First Language of the child) usage in basic schools, we wish to state that the inability of the authorities to approve the Gurune Language is in direct contravention of this laudable government policy.� The Association said the inability of the MoE and GES to approve the Language had negatively affected the educational progress of most pupils from the catchment area since they are technically disadvantaged by being graded with best six subjects out of seven instead of best six out of eight as it is being done in other areas. �We therefore wish to appeal to your Excellence the President of the Republic of Ghana to have the Gurune Language approved as an examinable subject so that our children can be registered for the upcoming Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) in 2014/2015 academic year. �We are of the opinion that approving the Language now, will go a long way to engender the educational fortunes of our sons and daughters from the four administrative districts of the Upper East Region. Children from adjourning districts who understand the language will also benefit from its inclusion as an examinable Language,� the petition said. The group together with school children drawn from the catchment area undertook a route march through the Bolgatanga Municipality with placards, some of which read: �No Gurune Language no school,� �Make Gurune Language Examinable at the BECE,� and �Gurune is our technical Language.� Receiving the petition on behalf of the Regional Minister, the Bolgatanga Municipal Chief Executive, Mr Edward Ayagle told the Association that their case is guanine and would be forwarded to the President.