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The Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has said plans were underway to make Sign Language the 13th official language in Ghana as part of reforms aimed at strengthening inclusive education for persons with disabilities.
The move, he said, is meant to fully integrate learners with hearing impairment into the education system and remove communication barriers that limit their participation in national life.
Speaking during a television interview with JoyNews aired on Sunday, December 22, 2025, Mr Iddrisu outlined the government’s policies to expand access to education for vulnerable and marginalised groups.
“One of the things for which I want to be remembered is that Ghana currently has 12 official languages. I want to make sign language the 13th and make it mandatory as part of our reach to persons with disability,” he said.
Under Ghana’s current language arrangement, English remains the country’s sole official constitutional language. However, the state also recognises 11 government-sponsored Ghanaian languages used in education and literacy programmes, particularly at the basic level. These languages are Akuapem Twi, Asante Twi, Fante, Ewe, Ga, Dangme, Nzema, Dagbanli, Dagaare, Gonja and Kasem.
Together with English, these languages are often described in public discourse as official, even though they do not carry the same constitutional status.
The Education Minister’s proposal would extend state recognition to Ghanaian Sign Language, which is already widely used in special schools and within the deaf community but has not been formally designated as an official or government-sponsored language.
Mr Iddrisu explained that the initiative forms part of the government’s policy direction under President John Dramani Mahama to provide free and equitable education for learners with special needs, beginning in 2026.
He said practical measures, including the supply of assistive devices for learners with hearing and visual impairments, wider access to Braille and specialised learning materials, and improvements in infrastructure for special needs institutions, would support the policy.
The minister linked the proposal to recent amendments to the GETFund Act, which he said would provide dedicated financing for special needs education. He said this would address long-standing challenges such as inadequate funding, poor facilities and limited teaching resources.
He also disclosed that the daily feeding grant for learners in special needs schools would be increased from GH¢8 to GH¢15, a move intended to improve welfare and learning outcomes.
Mr Iddrisu said the renewed attention to inclusion reflects the government’s effort to restore equity, integrity and quality across Ghana’s education system, from basic to tertiary levels.
He added that education reforms should be assessed over time, noting that investments made now, particularly for vulnerable and marginalised learners, would shape Ghana’s social and economic future in the decades ahead.
