The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA) has withdrawn printed copies of a Year Two Senior High School Physical Education and Health teacher manual after acknowledging that aspects of its content on gender identity did not align with Ghanaian cultural values.
The Director-General of NaCCA, Professor Samuel Ofori Bekoe, disclosed this on the Asaase Breakfast Show on Wednesday (14 January) while responding to public concerns raised by the Member of Parliament for Assin South, Reverend John Ntim Fordjour.
Prof. Ofori Bekoe explained that the issue did not originate from the approved curriculum itself but from a teacher’s manual developed to guide educators in implementing the new Senior High School curriculum introduced in 2024.
“For the first time in Ghana’s curriculum history, teacher manuals were developed to support teachers in implementing the new curriculum,” he said. “These manuals are guides, not compulsory materials, and teachers are free to use them or not.”
According to him, the manuals were developed in 2024 by external experts contracted by NaCCA and were printed in early 2025. He said concerns were later raised about a definition relating to gender identity contained in the Physical Education and Health teacher manual.
“When the matter was brought to our attention, we interrogated the content and engaged those who developed it,” Prof Ofori Bekoe stated. “Given the sensitivities around gender issues in Ghana, we felt it was more appropriate to revise that section.”
He said NaCCA has since replaced the affected content on its online curriculum portal and is in the process of replacing the printed copies that were distributed to schools.
“The online version has already been corrected. What remains is to replace the printed copies in the schools with revised versions,” he added.
Responding to claims by Reverend Ntim Fordjour that the content was a deliberate attempt to introduce LGBTQ-related material into schools, Prof Ofori Bekoe rejected the allegation, describing it as political.
“I do not like bringing politics into curriculum matters,” he said. “If you look at the timeline, this material was developed before we came into office. So the suggestion that this was deliberately introduced under the current administration does not add up.”
He also clarified that NaCCA has not instituted disciplinary measures because the manual was produced by external consultants rather than staff of the council.
On whether similar content exists in other subject manuals, Prof. Ofori Bekoe said NaCCA oversees nearly 40 subject manuals and reviews them continuously based on feedback and petitions received from the public.
“As concerns are raised, we review the materials and make changes where necessary,” he said, describing curriculum review as an ongoing process.
The NaCCA Director-General assured parents that the council remains committed to protecting Ghanaian cultural values, stressing that even international schools operating in the country are required to integrate Ghanaian values into their curricula.
“If we insist that international schools respect Ghanaian values, there is no reason why we would do otherwise ourselves,” he said.
Prof Ofori Bekoe added that future updates to curriculum materials will primarily be done digitally to allow for quicker revisions and improved transparency.
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