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CLAIM: Multiple Facebook users claim that Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu’s revised school curriculum makes Chinese language compulsory and prioritises it over Ghanaian local languages.
VERDICT: MISLEADING. The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA) Director General stated on the record that Chinese is optional, not compulsory, and will only be piloted in 10 schools with support from the Confucius Institute. The Minister separately elevated Ghanaian languages to the status of a medium of instruction from Kindergarten to Primary Three, contradicting the “prioritised over local languages” claim.
Full Text
The revised national curriculum for basic education in Ghana, developed by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA) and presented to the Ministry of Education, has sparked widespread debate.
The curriculum, which covers learners from Kindergarten to Primary Six, introduces significant changes, including coding, artificial intelligence, citizenship education, and expanded foreign language offerings.
Multiple Facebook users have claimed that Chinese has been made “compulsory” and that it is being “prioritised over Ghanaian languages.” These assertions have been amplified by users such as Michael Nana Yaw Sarpong and Sage Real.
These claims have received significant attention, with many comments and responses and close to 50 reactions.
Some of the comments read, “At times I wonder how such people are entrusted with such responsibilities. Can our children read and write our local languages?”
Due to the claims’ virality and potential to mislead, DUBAWA decided to verify them.
Verification
The Ministry of Education, through NaCCA, has approved a revised national curriculum covering Kindergarten to Primary Six.
The revision introduces or strengthens 13 subject areas at the basic education level, including coding, artificial intelligence literacy, and a standalone Citizenship Education subject.
NaCCA’s Director-General, Professor Samuel Ofori Bekoe, said the review ran from March to July 2026 and involved a technical working group along with roughly 160 writers and reviewers.
On language, the reforms move in the opposite direction of the viral claim rather than confirming it. Ghanaian languages have been made compulsory as the medium of instruction from Kindergarten to Primary Three, following a directive from Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu.
English has not been removed or downgraded: it remains the country’s official language and medium of instruction beyond that level, and continues to be taught as a subject from the early grades, with added emphasis on oral, play-based activity.
Chinese, by contrast, is not compulsory anywhere in the revised curriculum.
Professor Bekoe stated explicitly that Chinese would be optional, offered only in schools with the necessary resources and trained teachers.
It sits alongside French, Arabic, Italian, and German as one of several optional foreign languages now introduced from Primary One rather than Primary Four, a change intended to expose pupils to language learning earlier in their schooling. Arabic, unlike Chinese, has been given a standardised curriculum running from Primary One to Primary Six, replacing the mix of materials individual schools previously used on their own.
A screenshot of the draft curriculum
On the record:
Professor Samuel Ofori Bekoe, Director-General, NaCCA: “Ghana’s major trading partner is China and, looking into the future, we have also included in the curriculum, for government’s consideration, the study of Chinese.”
Haruna Iddrisu, Minister for Education: “You have spoken about Chinese. There is also French, Arabic, Italian, and German, and early oral exposure to these foreign languages can be helpful.”
What the Minister Actually Said
The Education Minister at the 1:49 mark in this coverage https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRKewwT3yuY&t=61s did not make Chinese compulsory.
Rather, he welcomed the proposal to expose pupils to additional foreign languages at an early age, stating: “You have spoken about Chinese. There is also French, Arabic, Italian, and German, and early oral exposure to these foreign languages can be helpful.
Why Chinese was included
Professor Bekoe explained the rationale for including Chinese: “Ghana’s major trading partner is China and, looking into the future, we have also included in the curriculum, for the government’s consideration, the study of Chinese”.
The Confucius Institute at the University of Cape Coast has partnered with NaCCA to support a pilot programme in 10 selected schools, providing trained teachers for the initial phase. The decision to include Chinese follows the formal launch of a Chinese language curriculum for basic, junior high, and senior high schools in December 2025.
DUBAWA also contacted the Ministry for a copy of the curriculum but was informed that the Minister had tasked the Ghana Education Service (GES) to review it within one week before full implementation. Since it’s still in that review/readiness stage, it isn’t posted as a public downloadable document yet.
Conclusion
The claim that Chinese is being made compulsory or prioritised over Ghanaian languages is false. Ghanaian languages remain compulsory in early education, while Chinese is one of several optional foreign languages introduced to broaden students’ global competencies. The curriculum changes are part of efforts to prepare Ghanaian children with the knowledge and skills needed to compete in a global economy.
