Spokesperson for the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) Education Committee and former Deputy Director-General of the Ghana Education Service, Dr Kwabena Tandoh, has criticised what he describes as contradictions in the government’s handling of education policy, saying the sector requires stability and predictability.

According to Dr Tandoh, the controversy surrounding the proposed introduction of Chinese and Arabic language instruction in schools exposes broader concerns about how education policies are developed and communicated.

Speaking on JoyNews’ The Pulse on Wednesday, September 16, he said education policy should not be subject to conflicting directives from different levels of government.

“No nation can run its most critical sector on contradictions. Education requires stability, it requires predictability, and it requires structural rigor,” he said.

His comments follow President John Dramani Mahama’s recent statement that there was no policy on the introduction of Chinese language in schools before Cabinet, despite earlier activities by education sector institutions relating to the proposed curriculum.

Dr Tandoh said the situation raised questions about policy coordination, particularly where resources had allegedly been committed to curriculum development and teacher training.

According to him, the Ministry of Education, the Ghana Education Service and the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA) had been involved in work related to the proposed Chinese curriculum.

He claimed that the curriculum was handed over to Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu in July and that the Minister described it as his “single most important achievement” in curriculum review.

Dr Tandoh was, however, challenged on the evidence supporting his claim that NaCCA had been commissioned to work on the curriculum.

In response, he referred to a September 13 report in the Daily Graphic, which he said reported that NaCCA officials had participated in teacher training on the Chinese curriculum at the Confucius Institute in Cape Coast.

“NaCCA trains teachers in the implementation of the Chinese curriculum at the Confucius Center in Cape Coast,” he said.

He said NaCCA’s Deputy Director and Head of Curriculum were involved in some of the training sessions, including sessions on pedagogy, exemplars and assessment.

His claim comes despite information cited by JoyNews from sources at NaCCA that the agency had only recommended the proposed introduction of Chinese and Arabic to the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service, as part of its regular functions.

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The sources also denied that NaCCA had organised training to prepare teachers to teach Chinese and Arabic.

Dr Tandoh questioned the agency’s account, pointing to the reported participation of its officials in the training.

“So how is it that an agency is saying they didn't do no such thing, but they sent their Deputy Director as well as the head of curriculum to the Confucius Centre to train teachers on the Chinese curriculum?” he asked.

Dr Tandoh said the disagreement reflects a bigger problem in education administration.

He argued that when policy positions change or appear to conflict at the highest levels, the consequences extend beyond political credibility to the people working within and relying on the education system.

“We have education administrators, we have teachers, we have parents, and ultimately we have students who pay the ultimate price,” he said.

Dr Tandoh said education policy must instead be guided by clear processes, institutional coordination and consistency to ensure that teachers, parents and students are not left uncertain about government directives.