NaCCA distances itself from Chinese language teacher training at UCC

The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA) has denied organising or authorising a teacher-training programme with the Confucius Institute at the University of Cape Coast (UCC) for the implementation of a Chinese language curriculum.

The Council said reports suggesting that it had partnered with the Confucius Institute to train teachers for a new Chinese language curriculum are inaccurate and does not represent its official position.

It explained that some of its officers who participated in the programme did so in their individual capacities as participants or resource persons, rather than as representatives acting under institutional authorisation.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, September 16, NaCCA also stressed that the programme should not be interpreted as the introduction or rollout of a new national policy on Chinese language instruction in Ghanaian schools.

“NaCCA did not organise, commission, sponsor or authorise the programme at the Confucius Institute, UCC, as an institutional teacher-training programme. Neither did the Council constitute or mandate a delegation to participate in the programme on its behalf,” the statement read in part.

The clarification comes amid controversy over reports that Chinese and Arabic could be introduced as compulsory subjects in Ghana’s public schools.

The controversy followed the presentation of a revised basic education curriculum by NaCCA to Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu in July.

Reports on the proposed curriculum generated public debate after Chinese and Arabic were listed among foreign-language areas under consideration.

The Ministry of Education subsequently clarified that Chinese, Arabic and French would not be compulsory under the proposed revised basic-school curriculum, but would be offered as optional subjects where qualified teachers and the necessary resources were available.

The development also comes days after President John Dramani Mahama dismissed claims that his government had approved a policy to introduce Arabic or Chinese across public schools.

Speaking during a citizens’ engagement in the Upper West Region on September 12, President Mahama said no such policy had been approved by Cabinet, which he chairs, and urged the public to disregard reports suggesting otherwise.