The Ministry of Education has dismissed claims that it intends to make the teaching and learning of Arabic compulsory for Ghanaian students.

In a statement dated August 10, 2026, the Ministry described the reports as misinformation and clarified that there is no policy or directive requiring Ghanaian students to study Arabic.

The Ministry explained that Arabic is a language and should not be confused with the promotion or imposition of any religious belief.

According to the statement, the development of a standardised curriculum for Arabic predates the appointment of Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu. The process began with a review of the senior high school curriculum several years ago.

The Ministry said Arabic has been officially recognised as part of the primary school curriculum for decades, a development that contributed to the establishment of English-Arabic or Islamic schools across the country.

However, it noted that although Arabic has been taught in several Islamic schools, there has previously been no single, officially approved curriculum governing its teaching across all such institutions. Schools have therefore been using their own curricula.

To address this gap, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA) developed a standardised Arabic language curriculum to provide consistency and quality assurance in the teaching and learning of the language.

The Ministry stressed that NaCCA’s recommendation for the adoption of the curriculum was intended primarily for schools already teaching Arabic, as well as any public primary school that may voluntarily choose to introduce the subject.

It said the recommendation was not intended to make Arabic a compulsory subject in public schools.

“It is therefore important to emphasise that the teaching of the language in our public schools was initiated years ago before the current Minister for Education assumed office and is not a personal initiative of the Honourable Minister,” the statament noted.

The Ministry further clarified that Arabic remains optional in public schools, just like Latin, French and other foreign languages, apart from English.

It also rejected suggestions that the development of the standardised curriculum amounted to an attempt to impose Islam or any other religion on Ghanaian students.

“The development of a standardised curriculum does not amount to making Arabic compulsory for non-Muslim students, nor does it constitute an attempt to impose any religion on Ghanaian learners,” the statement said.

The Ministry said there are already hundreds of Islamic schools across the country where Arabic is taught, mainly to support the educational and linguistic needs of their communities.

It explained that the standardised curriculum is intended to regulate the teaching of Arabic and ensure appropriate structure, consistency and quality.

The Ministry has therefore urged the public, media practitioners and other stakeholders to verify information from authoritative sources before drawing conclusions or circulating claims that could create fear, misunderstanding or religious tension.

Read the full statement below: