Dr. Armah Challenges ‘No Chinese, Arabic Curriculum Policy’ Claim

Former Deputy Housing Minister and Member of Parliament for Kwesimintim, Dr. Prince Hamid Armah, has disputed President John Dramani Mahama's assertion that there was no policy to introduce Arabic and Chinese into Ghana's schools. Dr. Armah argues that the facts on the ground tell a different story. He claims that Education Minister, Haruna Iddrisu, announced publicly that Chinese and Arabic would become compulsory foreign languages at the secondary school level, directly linking the decision to the President's vision.

According to Dr. Armah, Iddrisu commissioned the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA) to develop the curriculum, which involved assembling 160 writers and reviewers. The finished curriculum was presented to the Minister in July 2026. The Minister then referred it to the Ghana Education Service (GES) for review before final implementation. Dr. Armah claims that when Ghanaians started questioning the decision, the government backtracked and claimed that the languages would be optional at the basic level.

Dr. Armah also states that NaCCA trained teachers to implement the new Chinese curriculum just days before the President's claim that there was no policy. He questions who authorized the Minister to announce a compulsory language policy in the President's name, who authorized NaCCA to develop the curriculum, and who authorized the use of public resources for the project.

Dr. Armah emphasizes that the government cannot claim to have never considered the policy when they had already commissioned a curriculum, trained teachers, and implemented it.