The Ministry of Education has clarified that there is no policy or directive to make Arabic a compulsory subject in Ghanaian schools, following concerns over the introduction of a standardised Arabic curriculum.
In a statement signed by the Press Secretary to the Minister for Education, Hashmin Mohammed, the Ministry described claims that the government intends to impose Arabic on students as misinformation.
According to the Ministry, Arabic will remain an optional subject in public schools, similar to other foreign languages apart from English.
“Arabic, just like French or any other foreign language, apart from the English Language, remains an optional subject in our public schools,” the statement said.
The Ministry explained that the development of a standardised Arabic curriculum predates the appointment of the current Education Minister, Haruna Iddrisu, and began about four years ago as part of curriculum revisions.
It noted that Arabic has been taught at the primary school level for decades, particularly in English-Arabic and Islamic schools across the country.
However, despite hundreds of Islamic schools teaching Arabic, there was previously no officially approved standardised curriculum to ensure consistency in how the language was taught.
The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA) subsequently developed a unified Arabic Language curriculum to provide structure, consistency and quality assurance.
The Ministry explained that NaCCA’s recommendation for the adoption of the curriculum applies specifically to English-Arabic and Islamic schools, as well as other public primary schools that voluntarily choose to teach Arabic.
It stressed that the recommendation does not make the teaching of Arabic compulsory in all public schools.
The Ministry also rejected suggestions that introducing a standardised Arabic curriculum amounted to promoting or imposing Islam on students, explaining that Arabic is a language and should not be equated with a particular religion.
“The teaching and learning of Arabic should, therefore, not be misconstrued as the promotion or imposition of any religious belief,” the Ministry stated.
It urged the public to verify information from authoritative sources before sharing claims that could create fear, misunderstanding or religious tension.
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