Arabic not compulsory in schools - Education Ministry

Ghana's Ministry of Education has firmly denied circulating reports suggesting that the teaching and learning of Arabic will become compulsory in Ghanaian schools. The ministry clarified that such claims are misleading and could foster unnecessary misconceptions among the public.

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There is no policy or directive to impose the study of Arabic on Ghanaian students.

In a statement, the Ministry emphasized that Arabic is an optional language subject, placed on par with other foreign languages like French. The development of a standardized curriculum for Arabic is aimed at regulating and enhancing the quality of instruction in schools where the language is already being offered. The ministry stressed that there is no policy or directive to impose the study of Arabic on any Ghanaian student.

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Arabic is a language and should not be misconstrued as a religion or an attempt to promote or impose any religious belief on Ghanaian learners.

Furthermore, the Ministry underscored that Arabic is purely a language and should not be conflated with religion or perceived as an attempt to promote or impose any religious beliefs on Ghanaian learners. The process for developing a standardized curriculum for Arabic reportedly began years ago, predating the current Minister of Education's appointment, and was initiated at the senior high school level.

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It was never meant to make the language a mandatory or compulsory subject in our primary schools.

The ministry explained that the official recognition of Arabic in the primary school curriculum decades ago led to the establishment of English-Arabic or Islamic schools. However, the teaching of Arabic in these institutions had lacked a standardized curriculum, with individual schools creating their own. The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA) developed a unified curriculum to bring consistency and quality assurance to Arabic language education in these schools and any other public primary schools that might opt to implement it in the future. The ministry urged the public and media to verify information from authoritative sources to prevent the spread of fear and misunderstanding.

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The Ministry stressed that the teaching of Arabic in public schools was initiated years before Mr Iddrisu assumed office and was therefore not a personal initiative of the Minister.