Gov’t cannot deny what it has already set in motion – Former NaCCA boss challenges Mahama on Arabic, Chinese policy

Former NaCCA boss Dr Prince Hamid Armah has disputed President John Mahama's assertion that there was no prior policy to introduce Arabic and Chinese as foreign languages in Ghanaian schools. Mahama recently claimed the matter should be settled as no Cabinet approval was obtained for such a policy. Dr Armah, a former Deputy Housing Minister and Kwesimintim MP, maintains that the actions of the Education Ministry and its agencies contradict Mahama's claim.

He points out that Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu publicly announced that Chinese and Arabic would become mandatory foreign languages at the secondary school level, directly linking it to Mahama's vision. Dr Armah claims that Iddrisu then commissioned NaCCA to develop the curriculum, leading to the involvement of 160 writers and reviewers.

In July 2026, the curriculum was finished and presented to the Minister, subsequently referred to the Ghana Education Service (GES) for review before implementation. The former NaCCA boss argues that only after public questioning did the government admit the policy was optional rather than compulsory. He further alleges that NaCCA had already trained teachers to implement the Chinese curriculum shortly before Mahama's statement denying any policy.

Dr Armah questions why the government would advance the policy to the teacher-training stage without initially addressing concerns over the availability of Chinese-language teachers. He also asks who authorized the Minister to announce a compulsory language policy in Mahama's name and why the government proceeded to train teachers for a policy that, according to Mahama, did not exist.

Dr Armah maintains that the absence of Cabinet approval does not negate the work already done by government institutions. He states that the record clearly shows the Minister speaking, NaCCA delivering, GES receiving it, and teachers being trained. This, according to Dr Armah, is not a rumor but evidence of the government implementing a policy it now denies.