No Arabic or Chinese in the curriculum of our public schools- Mahama

President John Dramani Mahama has rejected allegations that his administration has approved a nationwide policy to teach Arabic and Chinese in Ghanaian public schools. He emphasized that no such policy has been approved by the Cabinet and requested the public to disregard reports suggesting the introduction of the two languages across the country.

During a citizens' engagement at the University of Business and Integrated Development Studies (UBIDS) in the Upper West Region on Saturday, September 12, as part of his Resetting Ghana Tour, Mahama clarified the situation.

Mahama questioned the need for introducing Chinese at a time when the country faced a shortage of teachers to effectively teach French. He pointed out that French remains crucial due to Ghana's proximity to several Francophone nations. "We're not even getting a handle on the teaching of French. Why would we go and introduce Chinese?" Mahama asked.

Regarding Arabic, Mahama explained that its teaching in certain schools is not the result of a new nationwide policy. He clarified that English-Arabic schools were established during the administration of the late President Jerry John Rawlings to encourage Muslim communities hesitant to send their children to school due to concerns about religious conversion.

Training for Arabic teachers has been ongoing to support the teaching of the language in these schools. Mahama reiterated that the government has not approved any policy to introduce Arabic or Chinese across all public schools in Ghana.