Ghana presented its first national Ghanaian Sign Language (GhSL) curriculum at Africa’s largest education exchange, highlighting the country’s efforts to strengthen inclusive learning for deaf learners.
The curriculum was featured at the Africa Foundational Learning Exchange (FLEX) 2026, held in Lilongwe, Malawi, from 15th to 17th July 2026. The summit brought together policymakers, development partners and education leaders from across Africa to share lessons on what is working in foundational learning and where education systems need to improve.
As part of Ghana’s delegation, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA) shared insights on the development of the GhSL curriculum and early lessons from classrooms during a technical side event focused on inclusive pedagogy, quality learning materials and evidence. The session brought together contributions from FAWE Africa, UNESCO, AccessEnable and the Malawi Union of the Blind and was moderated by Catherine Asego of FAWE Africa.
NaCCA’s Director of Curriculum, Mr. Reginald George Quartey, joined the panel discussion to explain why the sign language curriculum was developed, how it was built and what early evidence from classrooms is beginning to show. He was supported by Abdul-Karim Kadiri, T-TEL’s Data, Monitoring and Evaluation Manager.
A childhood without language
In Ghana, more than nine in ten deaf children are born to hearing parents who do not sign. For many families, deafness is identified late, often when a child is two or three years old. By then, many children have already missed a crucial period for developing language.
Mr. Quartey described what happens when children do not have access to a shared language from an early age.
“They invent. A gesture for food. A gesture for mother. A gesture for sleep,” Mr Quartey said. “We call these home signs. They help the family communicate, but they are not a language. They have no grammar and no one outside that household understands them.”
By the time many of these children reach school, the consequences are already visible. A national baseline study found that children were entering kindergarten one at an average age of eight and a half years. One in three arrived knowing only home signs.
These learners were beginning school without a shared language at an age when their hearing peers had already developed one. Research shows that a strong first language provides the foundation for every language and subject that follows. Without that foundation, academic success becomes a challenge.
Image 2: Mr Reginald George Quartey (right) presents Ghana’s Ghanaian Sign Language curriculum at FLEX 2026 with support from a sign language interpreter (left).
Starting where it matters
The decision to begin the curriculum at kindergarten represented a major shift in approach. Although initial funding from the Mastercard Foundation was directed towards senior high school, NaCCA and its partners made the case that starting at senior high school level would not address the root challenge. Without an early language foundation, learners would continue arriving at senior high school without the skills needed to fully engage with learning.
That decision led to the development of Ghana’s first national Ghanaian Sign Language curriculum, designed as a continuous pathway from kindergarten through to the final year of senior high school.
The curriculum was developed by NaCCA and the Ghana Education Service, together with the Ghana National Association of the Deaf (GNAD), AccessEnable and other curriculum experts, with support from T-TEL and the Mastercard Foundation. A key principle guiding the process was the meaningful involvement of Deaf educators and the Deaf community in shaping the curriculum. The curriculum is being piloted in four schools since September 2025.
What the evidence shows
The first evidence from classrooms shows strong support for the curriculum, alongside areas where teachers require further support. 94 percent of teachers expressed support for the curriculum, while 86 percent agreed that Ghanaian Sign Language as a first language supports academic success.
However, teacher confidence remains an area for attention. Only 38 percent of teachers reported confidence in teaching the grammar of Ghanaian Sign Language while 28 percent felt able to assess learner fluency. At baseline, no teacher had access to a teacher’s manual.
Among junior high school learners assessed, only 2.4 percent were proficient in sign language after seven or more years in school. The finding highlights the long-term impact of an education system where many deaf learners have not had access to a strong language foundation.
The baseline provides Ghana with a clear picture of where learners and teachers currently stand. The curriculum now being implemented is designed to respond to these gaps and track progress over time.
What comes next
NaCCA identified three immediate priorities: ensuring teachers have access to the materials they need, strengthening classroom monitoring to understand what is working and continuing to improve the curriculum as new evidence emerges.
“Many of Ghana’s deaf children started late. Our work is to make sure the next generation does not start from zero,” Mr Quartey added.
Across much of Africa, sign languages remain unstandardised and are not yet supported by national curricula. Ghana’s curriculum is already in classrooms, with evidence guiding its improvement. The focus now is ensuring that more deaf children begin their education journey with the language foundation they need to learn and succeed.