President John Dramani Mahama made the statement on Saturday, September 12, during a citizens’ engagement at the University of Business and Integrated Development Studies (UBIDS) in the Upper West Region as part of his Resetting Ghana Tour. He said no such policy has received approval from the Cabinet and urged the public to disregard claims that Arabic and Chinese are being introduced nationwide.
"No such policy has been approved by the cabinet that I chair. So let’s put that matter to rest once and for all," the President said. He questioned the rationale for introducing Chinese when Ghana is already struggling to provide enough teachers to effectively teach French, a language he said is particularly important given the country’s proximity to Francophone neighbours. "We’re not even getting a handle on the teaching of French. Why would we go and introduce Chinese?" he asked.
On Arabic, the President clarified that its teaching in some schools is not the result of a new policy to introduce the language across all public schools. He explained that English‑Arabic schools were established during the administration of late former President Jerry John Rawlings to encourage Muslim communities who had been reluctant to send their children to school because of concerns about religious conversion. According to Mahama, Arabic teacher training has therefore been ongoing to support the teaching of the language in those English‑Arabic schools. "But there’s no new policy to introduce Arabic and Chinese in all public schools in Ghana," he stressed.
The President’s remarks come amid circulating social media posts alleging a nationwide curriculum change. He urged citizens to verify information before sharing and reiterated that any policy changes would go through the proper Cabinet approval process. The President also highlighted the need to strengthen existing language programs, particularly French, before considering additional languages.
As the discussion continues, the government remains committed to reviewing educational strategies that align with national priorities and resource availability. The next steps will involve consultations with education stakeholders and a formal review of the curriculum framework.
