Old Tafo Member of Parliament, Vincent Ekow Assafuah, has criticised the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA), saying a revised teachers’ manual on sexuality education is more problematic than the version withdrawn after public backlash.
Speaking on The Forum aired on Asaase Radio on Saturday (17 January) Assafuah said the revised material introduces broader and more troubling definitions than those contained in the original document.
“Disturbing” definitions
Assafuah said the document withdrawn by NaCCA defined gender identity as a person’s deeply felt internal experience of gender, which may or may not correspond with sex assigned at birth.
“That was serious and disturbing,” he said, adding that such definitions were not rooted in Ghana’s approved curriculum framework.
Following public criticism, NaCCA announced the withdrawal of the document and said a revised version had been produced under the supervision of the Ministry of Education, a position later referenced by Deputy Education Minister Clement Apaak.
Worsened situation
Assafuah said the revised document worsened the situation by defining sexuality and sexual orientation as a person’s pattern of emotional and sexual attraction to others, without specifying attraction to the opposite sex.
“That definition now tells our teachers that a man can express romantic and emotional feelings to anyone. They did not limit it to the opposite sex,” he said.
He also criticised sections defining sexual and reproductive health rights as the right of individuals to make informed decisions about their sexual lives without discrimination, coercion or violence.
According to Assafuah, the revised material recognises sexual rights, including sexual pleasure, bodily autonomy and freedom from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender.
“This revised version is even worse than the one that has been withdrawn,” he said. “How do you withdraw one document and replace it with something more problematic?”
Dispute deepens
The MP rejected claims that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) introduced comprehensive sexuality education into Ghana’s curriculum, insisting that the curriculum framework reviewed under the NPP government in 2022 contains no references to gender identity, sexual orientation or sexual rights.
He challenged the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) to identify where such terms appear in the NPP-approved framework or curriculum.
Assafuah also criticised religious leaders who welcomed NaCCA’s withdrawal of the original document, saying they should not endorse a revised version that, in his view, introduces broader and more controversial definitions.
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