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🇬🇭 Ghana /Culture & Society

Ghana to introduce Chinese language in kindergarten curriculum

From Daily Graphic · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • Ghana's Ministry of Education is introducing a revised curriculum for kindergarten and primary education, focusing on 13 subject areas to enhance foundational learning and 21st-century skills.
  • The new curriculum includes subjects like Ghanaian Language, English, Chinese, Arabic, French, Mathematics, and Computing, with foreign languages starting earlier to improve proficiency.
  • Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu called the reform his

Ghanaian students in kindergarten and primary school will soon learn Chinese as part of a revised curriculum designed to equip them with 21st-century skills. The Ministry of Education is introducing 13 new subject areas, aiming to improve foundational learning and instill essential values and ethics.

The updated curriculum, covering kindergarten to Primary Six, was developed by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA). It includes Ghanaian Language, English Language, Chinese, Arabic, French, Religious and Moral Education, Mathematics, Physical Education and Health, Creative Arts, Citizenship Education, Computing, and Science (integrating Agriculture).

full implementation readiness and strict quality standards

— Haruna IddrisuGhana's Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, tasked the Ghana Education Service (GES) to review the revised curriculum within one week and bring it to “full implementation readiness and strict quality standards” to ensure smooth classroom execution.

NaCCA Director-General Professor Samuel Ofori Bekoe explained that the revision addresses learning gaps identified in the previous curriculum, particularly in Mathematics, English, and the teaching of Ghanaian culture. "We convened 160 experts and a technical working group to map and redesign the curriculum," he said. Key structural changes include reintroducing Citizenship Education as a consolidated subject, integrating computational and quantitative thinking into Mathematics and Computing to introduce coding and AI concepts, and incorporating Agriculture into Science.

We convened 160 experts and a technical working group to map and redesign the curriculum

— Professor Samuel Ofori BekoeDirector-General of NaCCA, Professor Samuel Ofori Bekoe, explained that the revised curriculum would address learning gaps, reduce subject overload, and align with new national priorities.

Foreign language instruction will now begin in Primary One instead of Primary Four to boost proficiency. Chinese has been introduced as an optional foreign language, with the Confucius Centre offering to pilot it in 10 schools. Professor Ofori Bekoe emphasized that ethics and values are deliberately embedded for teachers to impart to learners.

Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu hailed the curriculum reform as his "single most important achievement," urging the Ghana Education Service to ensure its "full implementation readiness and strict quality standards" for effective classroom execution. The revised curriculum aims to reduce subject overload and align with national priorities.

single most important achievement

— Haruna IddrisuThe Education Minister described the curriculum reform as his “single most important achievement”.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Daily Graphic in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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