President John Dramani Mahama has clarified that there is no government policy to introduce Arabic or Chinese as subjects across Ghana’s public schools.
The President said no such policy has received approval from Cabinet, dismissing reports and claims suggesting that the two languages would be introduced nationwide.
President Mahama made the clarification on Saturday, September 12, 2026, 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.
According to the President, the government has not approved any policy requiring public schools across the country to teach Arabic and Chinese.
“Cabinet approves the curriculum. If there’s a curriculum that is making changes to the subjects that are taught to our children, it will come to the cabinet before it becomes official policy. And so those who are going around and saying, Arabic is going to be introduced, Chinese is going to be introduced, I want to say with all emphasis as President of the Republic of Ghana that no such policy has been approved by the cabinet that I chair.”
Mahama questions proposed introduction of Chinese
President Mahama also questioned the rationale for introducing Chinese into Ghana’s public school system when the country continues to face challenges in providing enough teachers to effectively teach French.
He stressed the importance of French to Ghana, particularly because the country is surrounded by Francophone neighbours.
“We’re not even getting a handle on the teaching of French. Why would we go and introduce Chinese?” he asked.
The President’s comments come amid discussions surrounding Ghana’s basic education curriculum and the role of foreign languages in the school system.
Earlier clarifications from education authorities had indicated that foreign languages such as French, Arabic and Chinese were not compulsory subjects under the proposed basic education curriculum.
No nationwide Arabic and Chinese policy
The President therefore urged the public to disregard claims that his administration has approved a policy to introduce Arabic and Chinese into the curriculum of all public schools.
The clarification is expected to settle concerns and speculation surrounding the place of the two foreign languages in Ghana’s education system.
The issue has attracted public attention in recent weeks, with fact-checking and education reports also clarifying that Chinese would not become a compulsory subject for pupils under Ghana’s new basic school curriculum.
