Education Ministry denies plans to make Arabic compulsory in Ghanaian schools

The Ministry of Education has clarified reports suggesting Arabic will become mandatory for Ghanaian students. In a statement on August 10, 2026, the Ministry stated the reports are misinformation and emphasized there's no policy mandating Arabic instruction for Ghanaian students. They explained Arabic is a language, not tied to any religious belief and clarified that a standardised curriculum for Arabic predates the current Education Minister, Haruna Iddrisu.

The process began with a senior high school curriculum review years ago. Arabic has been in primary school curriculum for decades, leading to English-Arabic or Islamic schools' establishment. However, no single, approved curriculum existed across all Islamic schools. The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA) developed a standardised Arabic language curriculum to ensure consistency and quality assurance in teaching.

This recommendation was for schools already teaching Arabic and voluntary public primary schools, not to make Arabic compulsory. The Ministry stressed that Arabic in public schools is optional, like Latin, French, and other foreign languages. They also rejected suggestions that the development of the curriculum aims to impose Islam or any religion on Ghanaian students.

The Ministry urged public verification of information from authoritative sources to avoid confusion or religious tension.