The Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has directed that the use of Ghanaian local languages is now compulsory for teaching in all basic schools across the country.
He announced the directive in Accra on Friday during the launch of the Free Tertiary Education for Persons with Disability initiative, introduced by President John Dramani Mahama.
According to the Minister, the move is aimed at improving understanding and learning outcomes at the foundational level. He explained that many children struggle to grasp lessons taught in English at an early age, and learning in their mother tongue will help build a stronger educational foundation.
Mr. Iddrisu has instructed the Director General of the Ghana Education Service to strictly enforce the directive in all basic schools. He described the policy as a key part of President Mahama’s Reset Agenda for improving education.
Touching on the Free Tertiary Education initiative for Persons with Disabilities, the Education Minister said the programme is to promote inclusivity and support vulnerable groups. He revealed that the initiative will cost the state and the Ghana Education Trust Fund about 31 million Ghana cedis, with GETFund committing 50 million cedis every two years until 2028 to support disability-related interventions.
Meanwhile, Mr. Iddrisu disclosed that Ghana has received a 30-million-dollar grant from China, which President Mahama has directed to be used to establish a Catholic Science University in Damongo in the Savannah Region. He added that two new technical universities will also be constructed in Jasikan in the Oti Region and Techiman in the Bono East Region.
