Kwakye Ofosu dismisses claims government added LGBTQ content to SHS curriculum

The government has dismissed claims it participated in adding LGBTQ content to the basic school curriculum, describing the allegations as inaccurate and politically misleading.

The Minister for Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, was responding to assertions by Assin South MP, Reverend John Ntim Fordjour, that the government was involved in introducing such material into teaching resources.

“Reverend Ntim Fordjour is my good friend. Sometimes he gets carried away,” Kwakye Ofosu said during the Government Accountability Series on Wednesday.

He noted that the MP had served in government when earlier curriculum reforms were introduced. “He was in government when the comprehensive education curriculum was introduced. We had similar things there that we found distasteful and at variance with Ghanaian cultural values.”

The minister argued that concerns being raised now were not new and had surfaced under previous administrations. According to him, established review mechanisms within the education sector had already addressed the matter before it entered public debate.

“Even before Reverend Fordjour had come out to make these claims, NaCCA itself had withdrawn 300 or so copies of the manual,” he said, pointing to actions by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment as evidence that oversight systems were working.

Kwakye Ofosu made the remarks during the Government Accountability Series at the Jubilee House, where ministers respond to questions on governance and public policy.

His comments come against the backdrop of a recent clarification by NaCCA over concerns surrounding a senior high school teacher manual.

In a joint press release with the Ministry of Education, NaCCA explained that public alarm followed allegations that LGBTQ-related material had been introduced into the SHS curriculum.

“NaCCA reiterates, in the strongest terms, that no such content exists within the approved national curriculum,” the council stated, stressing that the curriculum itself remained unchanged.

NaCCA clarified that the issue related to a Teacher Manual, which it described as a supplementary resource rather than a binding policy document.

“The curriculum is the official policy document defining the mandatory areas of study for learners,” the statement said, adding that Teacher Manuals are optional instructional guides.

The council explained that during an internal review, it identified a definition of “gender identity” in a Year 2 Physical Education and Health Elective Teacher Manual as problematic.

The definition, NaCCA said, “was not reflective of Ghanaian culture, norms, and values,” prompting revisions and the withdrawal of printed copies.

Both NaCCA and the Ministry of Education maintained that government policy remains clear.

“The Government of Ghana has no intention to promote, endorse, or introduce LGBTQ content at any level of the educational system,” the statement said, emphasising that curriculum development remains anchored in Ghana’s socio-cultural values.