Chinese and Arabic Can Wait: Ghana Must Build Its Indigenous Language Foundation For STEM Age.

The recent announcement by the Minister of Education, Hon. Haruna Iddrisu of regarding the possible inclusion of Chinese and Arabic in Ghana’s basic school curriculum has sparked an important national conversation about the direction and priorities of our education system. There is no doubt that learning foreign languages can create opportunities for international cooperation, trade, diplomacy and cultural exchange. In an increasingly interconnected world, Ghanaian students must be prepared to engage with other societies.

However, every education policy must begin with a fundamental question: what should be the priority at each stage of a child’s development?

The basic school level is the foundation upon which future scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs, innovators and responsible citizens are built. It is the stage where children must develop strong literacy skills, mathematical reasoning, scientific thinking, creativity, digital competence and a sense of cultural identity.

The debate, therefore, should not be about rejecting Chinese or Arabic. These languages have value and can serve important purposes in Ghana’s global engagement. The deeper question is whether introducing them at the basic level represents the most urgent educational priority when Ghana is striving to compete in a world driven by science, technology and innovation.

Before expanding the number of foreign languages taught in our basic schools, Ghana must first consider developing a strong indigenous language foundation capable of supporting knowledge creation, scientific communication and technological advancement. A nation that hopes to design its own solutions, build its own industries and participate meaningfully in the STEM revolution must empower its people with a knowledge system connected to their own society.

The future of Ghanaian education cannot only be about producing citizens who can communicate with the world; it must also be about producing citizens who can create for the world. As Ghana moves into the STEM age, the foundation of our education system must prepare our children not only to consume global knowledge but also to contribute original ideas and innovations to humanity.

The Role of Basic Education: Building Thinkers and Creators

Basic education is the most critical stage in the development of a child because it shapes the foundation upon which future learning and professional abilities are built. It is during these formative years that children develop their ability to read, analyse, reason, communicate and understand the world around them.

The primary responsibility of basic education should therefore be to create strong thinkers and problem-solvers. Ghana’s classrooms must become spaces where children are equipped with the skills required for the future: scientific curiosity, mathematical ability, creativity, technological awareness and the confidence to develop solutions to local challenges.

In an era defined by science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), the focus of basic education should be on helping learners understand concepts deeply rather than simply increasing the number of subjects they study. Education must move away from an approach that measures success by the quantity of information a child memorises and towards one that develops the ability to think, create and innovate.

Introducing more languages at the basic level without strengthening the core foundations of learning risks placing additional demands on both teachers and students. Many learners are still struggling with essential skills such as reading comprehension, numeracy and scientific understanding. The priority should be to address these foundational challenges before expanding the curriculum with specialised courses.

A child who has developed strong reasoning skills, scientific curiosity and a solid educational foundation will have the ability to learn any foreign language successfully at a later stage. However, a child who lacks strong foundations may find it difficult to use any language — foreign or local  as a tool for knowledge creation.

The goal of Ghana’s basic education system should therefore be clear: to produce a generation of thinkers, inventors and innovators who can compete globally while developing solutions rooted in Ghanaian realities.

Mandarin and Arabic Are Valuable, But They Belong at Higher Levels

To argue that Mandarin and Arabic should not be introduced at the basic school level is not to underestimate their importance. On the contrary, both languages have significant global value. Mandarin has become one of the world's most influential languages because of China's growing economic, technological and industrial leadership. Arabic, likewise, remains an important language in international diplomacy, commerce, religion and cultural exchange.

As Ghana strengthens its economic ties with China, the Middle East and other parts of the world, proficiency in these languages can create opportunities in international trade, engineering, education, tourism, diplomacy and investment. There is therefore every reason to encourage Ghanaians to study them.

The question, however, is not whether these languages should be taught, but when they should be taught.

Basic education should provide every child with a strong academic foundation. Secondary and tertiary education, on the other hand, are designed to allow students to pursue specialised interests and career paths. It is at these higher levels that students are mature enough to make informed choices about the languages and disciplines that best align with their aspirations.

A student who wishes to become an international business executive, diplomat, engineer working with Chinese industries, interpreter, researcher or Islamic scholar would benefit greatly from studying Mandarin or Arabic at the senior high school or university level. At these stages, language learning becomes purposeful, career-oriented and more effective because students understand why they are acquiring those skills.

Rather than making Mandarin and Arabic part of the already demanding basic school curriculum, Ghana should establish well-resourced language programmes at the secondary and tertiary levels. Such an approach would produce graduates with genuine proficiency while allowing basic education to remain focused on developing the foundational knowledge and skills every Ghanaian child needs.

Educational policy is ultimately about making wise choices. Every subject introduced into the curriculum carries an opportunity cost. Before adding new subjects, policymakers must ask whether they address the country's most pressing educational and developmental needs. At this moment in Ghana's history, strengthening foundational learning and preparing children for the STEM age should take precedence over introducing specialised foreign languages at the basic level.

How Should Ghana Proceed?

Ghana must approach this issue with a clear national strategy rather than a quick policy adjustment. The Ministry of Education should establish a National Language Development Commission tasked with studying, consulting and recommending a long-term linguistic framework for STEM education. Such a commission must include linguists, historians, educators, chiefs, religious leaders, industry experts and civil society organisations to ensure that the process reflects both scientific rigour and national consensus. 

The selection of one indigenous language for scientific and technological development must be based on objective criteria such as number of speakers, geographic spread, existing literature, linguistic structure and potential for standardisation, not political considerations. Choosing one language for STEM does not mean abandoning Ghana’s linguistic diversity. All Ghanaian languages must continue to be taught, preserved and celebrated. The selected language would simply serve as a strategic national tool for knowledge creation. Once chosen, it should be gradually developed with scientific, mathematical and technological vocabulary so that teachers, researchers and innovators can communicate complex ideas in a language rooted in Ghanaian identity.

Ghana Must Choose and Develop One Indigenous Language for Knowledge Creation

If Ghana is serious about becoming a leader in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), then we must confront a difficult but necessary question: Can a nation become a technological powerhouse without deliberately developing its own language of knowledge?

 History suggests that the answer is no.

The world's most technologically advanced nations did not rely solely on foreign languages to educate their citizens or build their industries. They invested in developing their own languages into powerful tools for scientific research, engineering, innovation and national development. Their languages became the vehicles through which complex ideas were taught, debated, refined and transformed into inventions that changed the world.

Ghana, too, must begin this journey. While our country is blessed with many rich and vibrant indigenous languages, the time has come for a national conversation on selecting and developing one indigenous language that can serve as a common language of scientific communication and technological advancement. This is not an attempt to elevate one ethnic group above another or diminish the importance of our linguistic diversity. Rather, it is a strategic decision about national development.

A common indigenous language for science and technology would allow researchers, educators, engineers and innovators to develop technical vocabulary rooted in our own cultural context. It would make scientific concepts easier to explain, encourage greater public participation in innovation and inspire young learners to see science not as something foreign but as something they can understand, improve and own.

As Ghana enters the STEM age, our ambition should extend beyond assembling imported technologies or consuming innovations produced elsewhere. We should aspire to design our own software, manufacture our own electronic devices and, one day, develop critical computer components such as motherboards and processors. Such ambitions require more than modern laboratories and advanced equipment; they require a knowledge system that empowers people to think, question, invent and collaborate in ways that are meaningful to their own society.

Language is not merely a means of communication. It is a tool for thinking. Every scientific theory, engineering design and technological breakthrough begins as an idea expressed through language. When a nation develops a language capable of carrying scientific concepts, it empowers millions of its citizens to participate in innovation. A strong indigenous language foundation therefore expands the number of people who can understand, question and improve scientific ideas, making innovation more democratic and more deeply rooted in society.

Choosing and developing one indigenous language as a national language of knowledge will not, by itself, make Ghana a technological giant. But it will lay an intellectual foundation upon which future generations can build. If we continue to depend entirely on knowledge systems created by others, we risk remaining consumers of technology. If we invest in our own language alongside science and innovation, we stand a better chance of becoming creators of technology.

The conversation, therefore, is bigger than language. It is about the kind of nation Ghana wants to become. Will we continue to import ideas, or will we create them? Will we merely use technologies designed elsewhere, or will we prepare our children to build the technologies that the world will one day use? The answers to these questions begin in our classrooms, and they begin with the choices we make today.

The STEM Revolution Requires a Language Revolution

The twenty-first century will not be remembered as the age of natural resources; it will be remembered as the age of knowledge. Nations that produce knowledge will shape the global economy, while those that merely consume it will remain dependent on others. Ghana therefore cannot afford to approach STEM education as a collection of classroom subjects alone. It must become a national strategy for innovation, industrialisation and self-reliance.

Science and technology do not exist in isolation from language. Every scientific discovery, engineering principle and technological breakthrough begins as an idea expressed, discussed and refined through language. If Ghana wants to cultivate a generation capable of designing world-class technologies, then we must also cultivate a language environment that makes scientific thinking accessible to every child.

Today, Ghana imports most of the technologies that power our homes, schools, hospitals and industries. From computers and mobile phones to industrial machinery and electronic components, we remain largely consumers rather than producers. This dependence should concern every policymaker because a nation that cannot create technology will always rely on those who do.

Our national ambition should be far greater. We should aspire to build Ghanaian software, manufacture Ghanaian electronic devices and, in the years ahead, develop the expertise to design and produce sophisticated computer components including our own motherboards. Such a vision may appear ambitious today, but every technological nation began with an ambitious dream backed by deliberate investment in education, research and innovation.

That journey cannot succeed if our education system simply prepares children to use technologies invented elsewhere. It must prepare them to ask difficult questions, solve local problems and create original solutions. A strong indigenous language developed for science and technology can help bridge the gap between complex scientific concepts and the everyday experiences of learners, making innovation more inclusive and more deeply rooted in our society.

The introduction of Mandarin or Arabic into basic education may expand opportunities for international communication, but communication alone does not produce innovation. Nations become technologically advanced not because they speak many foreign languages, but because they invest in building knowledge, conducting research and nurturing creative minds capable of transforming ideas into inventions.

If Ghana truly desires to become a leader in the STEM era, then our educational priorities must reflect that vision. We must build a system that inspires children not merely to operate machines designed by others but to imagine, design and manufacture the technologies of tomorrow. That is the path from dependence to self-reliance, from consumption to creation, and from aspiration to achievement.

Language Alone Is Not Enough

Selecting and developing one indigenous language for scientific communication is a critical step, but it cannot stand alone. Language reform must be accompanied by sustained investment in STEM education, teacher training, modern laboratories, research funding, strong universities and industrial policy. Nations that lead in technology do so not only because they have strong linguistic foundations, but because they invest deliberately in the systems that turn ideas into inventions. Ghana must therefore pursue language development as part of a broader national strategy for innovation and industrialisation.

 Lessons from Nations That Built Through Their Own Languages

History offers an important lesson for Ghana: no nation has become a technological powerhouse by neglecting its own language. While many successful countries encourage the study of foreign languages, they have consistently ensured that scientific research, engineering education and technological innovation are firmly rooted in languages their people understand.

China is a compelling example. Today, Chinese students learn English and other foreign languages, but the country's remarkable achievements in manufacturing, artificial intelligence, space exploration and digital technology have been built primarily through Chinese. Its universities, research institutions and industries produce knowledge in a language that enables millions of citizens to participate in national development.

Japan followed a similar path. Although Japanese professionals engage with the global community in English and other languages, Japan's educational system has long relied on Japanese as the principal language for teaching science, engineering and technology. This has allowed knowledge to spread widely across society and has contributed to the country's reputation for innovation and industrial excellence.

South Korea also demonstrates that technological advancement does not require abandoning one's linguistic identity. Korean remains the dominant language of education, research and industry, even as the country competes successfully in global markets for electronics, automobiles, shipbuilding and digital technologies.

These examples reveal a common principle. Nations become innovators not simply because their citizens learn foreign languages, but because they invest in developing their own languages as instruments of education, research and technological progress. Foreign languages are valuable for international collaboration, trade and diplomacy, but they are not substitutes for a strong domestic knowledge system.

Ghana should draw inspiration from these experiences without attempting to copy them blindly. Our history, culture and linguistic diversity are unique. Nevertheless, the underlying lesson remains relevant: sustainable national development requires confidence in our own intellectual resources. By deliberately developing an indigenous language for scientific and technological communication, Ghana can strengthen public participation in innovation while preserving the cultural heritage that defines us.

The challenge before us is not to choose between being Ghanaian and being global. We can embrace international cooperation while remaining firmly rooted in our own identity. Indeed, the nations that command global respect today are those that have succeeded in doing both.

A National Call for Educational Reform

The debate over Mandarin and Arabic should ultimately lead us to a broader conversation about the future of Ghanaian education. Curriculum reforms should not be driven by the desire to add more subjects, but by a clear national vision of the kind of citizens we hope to produce. Every educational decision should answer one fundamental question: How does this prepare Ghana for the future?

The future belongs to nations that innovate, manufacture and solve problems. It belongs to countries that produce engineers rather than merely import engineering services, that develop software instead of relying solely on foreign applications, and that build industries capable of competing in the global marketplace. Ghana must therefore design an education system that places innovation, critical thinking and technological creativity at its centre.

This requires courage to make difficult choices. Rather than expanding the basic school curriculum with additional foreign languages, policymakers should strengthen foundational literacy, mathematics, science, ICT and practical STEM education. At the same time, Ghana should begin a broad, inclusive national dialogue on selecting and developing one indigenous language as a strategic language for scientific communication, technological education and knowledge creation. Such a decision must be guided by national consensus, linguistic research and the long-term interests of the country.

Foreign languages should remain an important part of Ghana's educational landscape, but they should be offered where they can have the greatest impact. Senior high schools and universities are the appropriate places for students to specialise in Mandarin, Arabic and other international languages according to their academic interests and career aspirations. This approach would produce graduates with genuine language proficiency while allowing basic education to remain focused on building strong foundations.

If Ghana dreams of becoming a nation that designs its own technologies, develops its own software, manufactures advanced electronic devices and one day contributes to the production of critical computer components such as motherboards, then we must recognise that these ambitions begin in our classrooms. They begin with children who are taught to think critically, ask bold questions and build knowledge with confidence. No nation has ever engineered its way to prosperity without first educating its people to believe that they could create, not merely consume.

The time has come for Ghana to move beyond educational reforms that simply expand the curriculum. What we need is a transformation in purpose, a system that prepares every Ghanaian child not only to succeed in examinations, but also to contribute to the scientific, technological and industrial future of our nation.

Build the Foundation Before Expanding the House

The discussion surrounding the introduction of Mandarin and Arabic into Ghana's basic school curriculum is not merely about language. It is about the future we envision for our nation. Every generation is remembered for the choices it makes, and today's educational decisions will determine whether tomorrow's Ghana becomes a producer of knowledge or a consumer of the ideas and technologies created by others.

No one disputes the importance of foreign languages in an interconnected world. Mandarin can strengthen economic relations with China, while Arabic opens doors to diplomacy, commerce and cultural engagement across the Middle East and North Africa. These are valuable opportunities that Ghana should continue to embrace. However, the pursuit of global relevance must never come at the expense of building a strong national foundation.

If Ghana is determined to become a leader in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, then we must first build an education system that nurtures curiosity, creativity and innovation from the earliest years of schooling. We must invest in excellent teachers, modern laboratories, digital infrastructure and practical STEM education. At the same time, we must begin the deliberate task of developing an indigenous language capable of carrying scientific knowledge, technological ideas and the aspirations of a nation determined to shape its own future.

The question before us is not whether our children should learn Mandarin or Arabic. The real question is whether we are preparing them to create the next generation of technologies or merely to operate technologies invented elsewhere. Ghana's ambition should not end with producing graduates who can communicate with the world. It should extend to producing scientists who make discoveries, engineers who design new technologies, entrepreneurs who build industries and innovators whose ideas improve lives across the globe.

The STEM age demands more than new subjects in the curriculum. It demands a new philosophy of education—one that values knowledge creation over knowledge consumption, innovation over imitation, and national confidence over dependence.

Mandarin and Arabic can wait. The task before Ghana is far greater. We must build an educational foundation rooted in our own intellectual strength, enriched by our indigenous knowledge and equipped to prepare a generation capable of imagining, designing and building the future. Only then will Ghana truly move from following the world to helping shape it.

This is not a call to reject Mandarin or Arabic. It is a respectful appeal to the Ministry of Education to reconsider the timing and priority of this policy. Ghana must first build a strong indigenous language foundation capable of supporting STEM education, innovation and national development. Once that foundation is secure, Ghana can confidently expand opportunities for students to master the languages of the world.

Long live Ghana....

Author: Sir Alfred Kesse (The Pan African Child)