No Cabinet approval to introduce Arabic, Chinese in public schools: President Mahama clarifies

President John Dramani Mahama has dismissed claims that his government plans to introduce Arabic and Chinese languages into the curriculum of all public schools in Ghana.

According to the President, no such policy has been approved by Cabinet, which he chairs, and urged the public to disregard reports suggesting otherwise.

President Mahama made the clarification during a citizens’ engagement as part of his #ResettingGhana Tour in the Upper West Region.

“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. So let’s put that matter to rest once and for all,” he said.

The President questioned the rationale behind introducing Chinese into public schools when Ghana was already facing challenges in providing adequate French language teachers.

“We are surrounded by French-speaking countries. We are not even getting a handle on the teaching of French. Why would we go and introduce Chinese?” President Mahama asked.

He further questioned where the country would obtain the teachers required to implement such a policy, stressing that Ghana was already struggling to recruit sufficient French teachers.

“Where are we going to get Chinese teachers? Even French teachers are hard to find,” he said.

Addressing concerns about the training of Arabic teachers, President Mahama explained that the practice was linked to the establishment of English-Arabic schools to encourage Muslim communities to enrol their children in formal education.

He said the initiative dates back to the era of former President Jerry John Rawlings, when concerns were raised that some Muslim families were reluctant to send their children to school due to fears that they could be converted to another religion.

“Rawlings introduced English-Arabic schools. You all know about these English-Arabic schools and so they allowed Arabic to be taught in those schools,” he explained.

According to President Mahama, the training of Arabic teachers is therefore intended to support the teaching of Arabic in these existing English-Arabic schools and does not constitute a new policy to introduce the language across all public schools.

He reiterated that there has been no Cabinet approval for a curriculum that would introduce Arabic and Chinese as languages in Ghana’s public schools.

“But there’s no new policy to introduce Arabic and Chinese in all public schools in Ghana. I’m saying it for the last time for emphasis,” President Mahama stressed.

“I’m President of Ghana. I chair Cabinet. There’s been no approval of any curriculum that is introducing Arabic and English language in our public schools,” he added.