The Ministry of Education has dismissed claims that the government intends to make Arabic a compulsory subject in Ghanaian public schools, describing the reports as misinformation and a misrepresentation of the purpose of a newly standardised Arabic language curriculum.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, August 11, by the Press Secretary to the Minister for Education, Hashmin Mohammed, the Ministry said there was no policy or directive to impose the study of Arabic on Ghanaian students. The clarification follows growing public discussions and concerns surrounding the development of a standardised Arabic curriculum by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA).
The Ministry explained that the development of the curriculum was intended to regulate and improve the teaching and learning of Arabic in schools where the language is already offered, rather than introduce it as a compulsory subject across the country’s public schools. According to the Ministry, the process predates the appointment of Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu and began approximately four years ago with a review of the Arabic curriculum at the senior high school level.
It noted that Arabic has been taught in English-Arabic and Islamic schools in Ghana for several decades. However, these institutions had previously operated without a single officially approved curriculum, with individual schools developing and implementing their own programmes. To address the lack of uniformity, NaCCA developed a standardised Arabic language curriculum as part of its mandate to improve curriculum standards and ensure consistency and quality in teaching and learning.
The Ministry stressed that the curriculum is primarily intended for schools where Arabic is already taught, as well as any other public primary schools that may voluntarily choose to introduce the language in the future. It therefore rejected suggestions that the development of the curriculum amounted to an attempt to make Arabic compulsory for all Ghanaian students.
The Ministry also sought to distinguish between Arabic as a language and religious instruction, stressing that knowledge of Arabic should not automatically be associated with the promotion or imposition of Islam.
“For the avoidance of doubt, Arabic is a language, not a religion. The teaching and learning of Arabic should therefore not be misconstrued as the promotion or imposition of any religious belief,” the statement said.
The Ministry further clarified that Arabic remains an optional subject in Ghana’s public schools, just like French and other foreign languages, with the exception of English, which is the official language of instruction. It said the development of a standardised curriculum does not change the status of Arabic or make it compulsory for non-Muslim students.
The Ministry pointed out that hundreds of Islamic schools across the country already teach Arabic, largely in response to the educational and linguistic needs of the communities they serve. It said the standardised curriculum would provide these schools with a common framework, improve consistency in teaching and learning, and strengthen quality assurance.
The Ministry also emphasised that the introduction of the standardised curriculum should not be attributed to Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu, as the process had already been initiated before he assumed office.
“The Ministry wishes to state categorically that there is no policy or directive to impose the study of Arabic on Ghanaian students,” the statement reiterated.
The Ministry urged the public, media practitioners and other stakeholders to rely on information from authoritative sources before drawing conclusions or circulating claims about government education policies. It warned that unverified claims could create unnecessary fear, misunderstanding and religious tension among the public.
The clarification is expected to ease concerns surrounding the government’s position on Arabic and reaffirm that the language remains an optional subject within Ghana’s public education system.
Philbert Amiba Ayuusah