Haruna Iddrisu addresses curriculum controversy

The Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has addressed the controversy surrounding Ghana’s Senior High School (SHS) curriculum, cautioning against what he described as “political mischief” and urging the public to rely on facts rather than partisan narratives.

Speaking at a teachers’ training workshop in Tamale, Mr Iddrisu clarified that there should be no ambiguity whatsoever in how sex and gender are defined within Ghana’s education system, stressing that all official instructional materials must reflect Ghanaian values, culture, and societal norms.

The Minister noted that the debate over the Physical Education and Health elective teacher manuals should not be politicised, particularly given that the materials were not developed under his tenure or under the current administration.

“If I wanted to be politically mischievous, I would say that this curriculum was not produced under my watch as Minister, not under this government, and not under President John Dramani Mahama,” Mr Iddrisu said.

“But what is important is not politics. What is important is what is good for Ghana, good for Ghanaian teachers, and good for our learners.”

According to the Education Minister, the government has reviewed concerns raised over certain definitions contained in the teacher manuals, especially references to gender identity, and concluded that they were not reflective of Ghanaian culture, values, and norms.

He announced that corrective steps have already been taken, including the release of revised online versions of the affected Physical Education and Health elective teacher manuals for SHSs. Teachers and institutions, he said, have been directed to rely strictly on the updated digital versions.

“The online corrections have been done, and they have been done appropriately,” he stated, adding that teachers should not depend on older hard copies of the manuals.

Mr Iddrisu further reminded educators that Ghana’s curriculum is *dynamic* and subject to continuous review to align with national standards and evolving educational needs. He urged teachers to consult the official curriculum portal, [www.curriculumresources.edu.gh](http://www.curriculumresources.edu.gh), for all approved and current instructional materials.

Issuing a firm directive, the Minister said there must be absolute clarity in educational literature regarding sex and gender.

“For our purposes, reference to a man, a woman, or sex is reference to the biological sex of a person at birth,” he said, stressing that all future publications by the Ministry of Education, the Ghana Education Service, and allied institutions must strictly adhere to this definition.

The Minister’s remarks align with a press release issued on January 13 by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA), which rejected claims that LGBTQ-related content had been introduced into Ghana’s SHS curriculum.

In the statement, signed by NaCCA’s Executive Secretary, Prof. Samuel O. Ofori Bekoe, the Council described such allegations as false and misleading, insisting that “no such content exists within the approved national curriculum.”

NaCCA explained that the controversy stemmed from a misunderstanding between the national curriculum, which is the official policy document outlining compulsory areas of study, and Teacher Manuals, which are supplementary resources meant to guide teachers and are not mandatory.

Following an internal technical review, NaCCA said it identified that a specific definition of “gender identity” in the Year 2 Physical Education and Health (Elective) Teacher Manual did not reflect Ghanaian values. A revised version, aligned with national norms and biological understanding, has since been released online, while steps are being taken to withdraw the printed copies.

The clarification followed accusations by the Member of Parliament for Assin South, Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, who alleged that the government had “mischievously and deliberately smuggled LGBTQ agenda into the curriculum” through Teacher Manuals and other teaching materials.

In response, both the Ministry of Education and NaCCA have reiterated that the Government of Ghana has no intention of promoting or introducing LGBTQ content at any level of the educational system, assuring the public that Ghana’s curriculum remains firmly rooted in the country’s socio-cultural and constitutional values.