The Ministry of Education has clarified that the compulsory use of Ghanaian languages as a medium of instruction in schools will apply only from Kindergarten to Primary three, not across all basic school levels.

The clarification follows widespread reactions to comments made by Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu on Friday, October 24, at the launch of the Free Tertiary Education for Persons with Disabilities initiative in Accra.

At that event, the Minister announced that the use of mother tongue as a medium of instruction would become compulsory in public schools, explaining that the move was part of efforts to improve literacy and learning outcomes at the foundational level.

He stressed that using Ghanaian languages in early education would help children understand and express themselves better.

“I am directing the Director General of the Ghana Education Service and the GES that from today, teacher use of mother tongue instruction is now compulsory in all Ghanaian schools,” he had stated.

In response to critics, Deputy Minister of Education, Clement Appak, made the clarification on October 27 during the launch of the Foundational Learning Action Tracker in Accra.

“The honourable Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has asked me to clarify that the policy directive he announced on Friday regarding the compulsory use of mother tongue as medium of instruction in our public basic schools is confined to KG up to Primary 3,” Dr. Appak stated.

He noted that the clarification was necessary following public debate and some confusion about the scope of the new policy.

“Having clarified what seems to have given a few persons sleepless nights, I bring you greetings,” he joked.