Outdated textbooks to be revised, local language materials to be developed - Haruna Iddrisu

The government will revise outdated school textbooks and address the lack of materials for teaching local languages, Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu has said.

Speaking in an interview on Joy FM on March 12, 2025, following the presentation of the 2025 Budget, Mr Iddrisu acknowledged that many textbooks in use do not reflect the updated curriculum. He pointed out that some geography textbooks still recognise 10 regions instead of 16, stressing the need for corrections.

“Yesterday, my attention was drawn to one of the publishers in the country that even the current atlas we use only recognises 10 regions in Ghana and not 16. We need to get that produced quickly and rectified quickly,” he stated.

Beyond outdated textbooks, Mr Iddrisu noted that many schools lack teaching materials for local languages, including Ga, Twi, Ewe, Hausa, and Dagbani.

He said that while the teaching of these languages is compulsory, there are not enough books or writers producing materials to support learning.

“The teaching of local languages is compulsory, but we do not have enough books or even writers for many of these languages,” he said.

“We must encourage more people to write in our local languages so that we can have the necessary teaching materials.”

He called for a deliberate effort to develop textbooks in local languages to support effective teaching and learning.

The 2025 Budget, presented by Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson on March 11, has allocated GH¢564.6 million for the procurement of new curricula-based textbooks, which will include revised subject materials and local language books.

Additionally, GH¢145.5 million has been set aside for the Capitation Grant, aimed at supporting basic education, while GH¢1.788 billion has been allocated to the School Feeding Programme to improve student retention and performance.

Mr Iddrisu urged writers and publishers to take up the challenge of producing educational materials in local languages, saying this would help improve literacy and preserve Ghana’s linguistic heritage.

“We do not even have materials for guiding the teaching of some of these local languages, whether it’s Ga, Twi, Ewe, Hausa, or Dagbani,” he noted.

“We must encourage more people to write so that we have enough texts at the local level.”