Ghana's NaCCA Unveils Standardised Arabic Curriculum

• The Ministry of Education has denied claims that Arabic is being made compulsory in Ghanaian schools.
• A standardised curriculum for Arabic was developed by NaCCA to regulate and improve the quality of instruction in existing English-Arabic or Islamic schools.
• Arabic remains an optional language subject, similar to French and other foreign languages.
• The introduction of a standardised curriculum may impact existing Islamic schools, potentially affecting their tax-exempt status or other regulatory requirements.

It was never meant to make the language a mandatory or compulsory subject in our primary schools.

The Ministry of Education has been working on developing a standardised curriculum for Arabic, which is intended to regulate and improve the quality of instruction in schools where the language is already being taught. This initiative predates the current Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, who took office after the process had begun several years ago. The development of a unified and standardised curriculum was necessary due to the lack of an officially approved curriculum for Arabic in existing English-Arabic or Islamic schools, which have been teaching the language without any central guidance. As a result, individual schools were developing their own curricula, leading to inconsistencies in the quality of instruction. The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA) developed the new curriculum as part of its mandate to regulate the teaching and learning of Arabic in these schools.

Contrary to claims circulating in the public domain, Arabic is not being made compulsory in Ghanaian schools. The Ministry of Education has denied any policy or directive to impose the study of Arabic on students, and instead stresses that it remains an optional language subject, similar to French and other foreign languages. The standardised curriculum developed by NaCCA was intended for existing English-Arabic or Islamic schools and any other public primary schools that might choose to implement it in the future. This means that parents and guardians still have the choice whether or not to enroll their children in Arabic classes. The Ministry has urged the public, media practitioners, and other stakeholders to verify information from authoritative sources before circulating claims that could create unnecessary fear, misunderstanding, or religious tension.

The introduction of a standardised curriculum for Arabic is intended to provide structure, consistency, and quality assurance in the teaching and learning of the language. This is particularly important for existing Islamic schools across the country, which already teach Arabic to meet the educational and linguistic needs of their communities. By regulating the teaching and learning of Arabic, the Ministry aims to ensure that students receive a high-quality education, regardless of whether they attend public or private schools. The standardised curriculum will also help to address any inconsistencies in the quality of instruction, ensuring that all students have access to the same level of education.

Lawyers and compliance officers should be aware that the introduction of a standardised Arabic language curriculum may impact existing Islamic schools, which could lead to changes in their educational offerings and potentially affect their tax-exempt status or other regulatory requirements.

Source: Original reporting via Ghanaian Times