The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has called on President John Dramani Mahama to either apologise to Ghanaians or dismiss Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu over the controversy surrounding the reported introduction of Arabic and Chinese into Ghana’s school curriculum.

In a statement issued by its Education Sector Policy Committee, the NPP said the President’s recent denial that his government had approved any new policy to introduce the languages into schools had created a contradiction that required clarification.

The party said the appropriate action depended on whether Mr Iddrisu acted with or without presidential and Cabinet approval.

“If the Minister announced and pursued this policy without presidential and Cabinet approval, the President must sack him. If, however, the Minister acted with the authority or knowledge of the President or Cabinet, then the President must apologise to the Ghanaian people for denying a policy his Government had already set in motion,” the statement said.

NPP’s account of policy development

According to the NPP, Mr Iddrisu announced on April 24, 2026, that Chinese and Arabic would become compulsory foreign languages at the secondary school level, attributing the policy to President Mahama’s vision for education.

The party said the announcement was followed by steps by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA) to develop the relevant curriculum.

It said about 160 writers and reviewers were engaged over several months to work on a revised curriculum that included Arabic and Chinese among foreign-language options.

The NPP said the revised curriculum was presented to Mr Iddrisu on July 22, 2026.

According to the party, the Minister did not reject the document but instead referred it to the Ghana Education Service (GES), directing the service to bring it to “full implementation readiness” and prepare for its execution in schools.

The party said subsequent government clarification that Arabic and Chinese would be optional at the basic school level did not resolve the issue because Mr Iddrisu’s earlier announcement had referred to the languages being compulsory at the secondary school level.

The NPP also cited a September 3, 2026, training programme organised by NaCCA with support from the Confucius Institute at the University of Cape Coast to train teachers to implement the Chinese language curriculum.

It argued that these steps suggested that the policy had received official government backing.

“When the Minister responsible for education publicly attributes a policy direction to the President and advances it through the institutions under his authority, the reasonable conclusion is that he is acting with the authority of Government,” the statement said.

The party therefore questioned President Mahama’s subsequent assertion that there was “absolutely no new policy”, saying the conflicting positions raised concerns about policy coordination and decision-making within government.

NPP questions expenditure

The Education Sector Policy Committee also questioned the use of public resources in the curriculum development and implementation process.

It asked why writers, reviewers, technical personnel and other resources were deployed if, as the President stated, there was no approved policy to introduce the languages.

“If there was ‘absolutely no new policy’, why were public resources committed to developing the curricula, preparing the system for implementation and training teachers?” the statement asked.

The NPP also cited the President’s concerns about the availability of Chinese language teachers, particularly against the backdrop of an existing shortage of French teachers.

It questioned why implementation preparations and teacher training had advanced if teacher availability remained unresolved.

Arabic and Chinese

The NPP stressed that it did not consider Arabic and Chinese to be identical cases.

It said Arabic was already offered as an optional subject at the junior high school level before the current government assumed office.

Chinese, on the other hand, was described by the party as part of a new 2026 process involving curriculum development, ministerial review, implementation preparation and teacher training.

The party said the controversy therefore raised broader questions about ministerial authority, government coordination and accountability.

“If the Minister acted without authority, he must be relieved of his position. If he acted with the authority or knowledge of the President or Cabinet, the President must apologise to the nation and provide a full account of the policy, the expenditure incurred and why the public was told otherwise,” the statement said.

The NPP maintained that parents, teachers, school administrators and taxpayers deserved clear and consistent communication from the government.

It reiterated its call for President Mahama to either apologise to Ghanaians or dismiss Mr Iddrisu over the matter.