List of 13 subjects in Ghana's new basic school curriculum, including Chinese

Josephine Amuzu 10:02 - 24 July 2026

Add Pulse as a preferred source on Google

Haruna Iddrisu

Ghana's revised basic school curriculum introduces 13 subjects for primary schools, including Chinese. Here's the full list and the major changes.

Ghana's revised basic school curriculum will introduce 13 subjects aimed at improving foundational learning while equipping pupils with digital skills, strong values and ethical principles.

Among the biggest changes are the introduction of Chinese as an optional foreign language, the return of Citizenship Education, and the inclusion of coding, automation and artificial intelligence (AI) concepts in Computing and Mathematics.

The curriculum, developed by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA), covers Kindergarten to Primary Six and has been submitted to the Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, for implementation.

The minister has directed the Ghana Education Service (GES) to review the revised curriculum within one week to ensure it is ready for classroom implementation.

The 13 subjects pupils will study

Under the revised curriculum, pupils in primary schools will study:

Ghanaian Language
English Language
Mathematics
Science (including Agriculture)
Computing
Citizenship Education
Religious and Moral Education
Creative Arts
Physical Education and Health
French Arabic Chinese (optional)
(Foreign language options may also include Spanish, Italian and German, depending on availability and implementation.)

What's new in the revised curriculum?

NaCCA says the curriculum was redesigned after an evaluation found learning gaps in Mathematics, English and the teaching of Ghanaian culture and values.

Some of the major changes include:

Citizenship Education returns as a standalone subject to strengthen civic responsibility, national history, values and attitudes.
Computing and Mathematics will introduce computational thinking, coding, automation and basic AI concepts.
Agriculture will no longer be taught as a standalone subject but will be integrated into Science.
Assessment will become more task-based and formative, using three achievement levels—basic, attained and deeper to help teachers identify pupils who need additional support.

Chinese introduced from Primary One

One of the most notable additions is Chinese, which will be offered as an optional foreign language from Primary One. According to NaCCA Director-General Professor Samuel Ofori Bekoe, the Confucius Centre has offered to pilot the programme in 10 schools with three teachers.

Foreign language instruction will also begin from Primary One instead of Primary Four to help improve pupils' language proficiency from an early age. Arabic has also been standardised from Primary One to Primary Six.

Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu announced that the government has approved Ghanaian languages as the medium of instruction from Kindergarten to Basic Three, while English will continue to be taught as a subject.

According to him, teaching children in their native language during the early years will improve literacy, reading comprehension and cognitive development, making it easier for them to learn English later. He also instructed the Ghana Education Service to prioritise the recruitment of Ghanaian language teachers in its next recruitment exercise.

Why the curriculum was revised

NaCCA says the revised curriculum is intended to:
Improve foundational literacy and numeracy.
Reduce subject overload while strengthening learning outcomes.
Equip pupils with digital and problem-solving skills.
Promote ethics, citizenship and Ghanaian cultural values.
Prepare learners for an increasingly global and technology-driven economy.

Professor Ofori Bekoe said the curriculum was developed with input from 160 experts and a technical working group to ensure it reflects Ghana's current educational priorities while addressing existing learning gaps.

Update Me