Education Ministry Backtracks: Compulsory Ghanaian Languages Limited to KG to Primary Three
Accra,Ghana – October 27,2025 - The Ministry of Education has issued a clarification on its recent directive regarding the use of Ghanaian languages as the medium of instruction in schools.
Deputy Education Minister, Clement Appak, has stated that the policy applies only to Kindergarten (KG) to Primary Three (Lower Primary) levels, and not across all basic school levels as initially announced.
“The Hon. Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu has asked me to clarify that the policy directive he announced on Friday regarding the compulsory use of mother tongue as a medium of instruction in our public basic schools is confined to KG up to primary three. In other words KG and lower primary,” Clement Appak clarified at the launch of the Foundational Learning Action Tracker.
This clarification comes after sector minister, Haruna Iddrisu, directed the Ghana Education Service (GES) to compulsorily use Ghanaian languages as the medium of instruction in all public basic schools.
The initial announcement sparked widespread debate, with many expressing concerns over the practicality and potential impact of the policy on students and teachers.
Minister Iddrisu had emphasized the importance of promoting local languages at the basic education level to enhance comprehension and learning outcomes.
The use of mother tongue instruction is widely recognized as an effective approach to improving learning outcomes, particularly in early childhood education.
Source – Lead News Online/Eugenia Boakye
