Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu has issued a firm directive mandating unambiguous definitions of biological sex and gender in Ghana’s educational materials, insisting that references to “man,” “woman,” and “sex” must strictly align with biological sex at birth.
Speaking at a training session in Tamale on the Ghanaian Youth Handbook and the rollout of the Guidance and Counselling Framework, the minister addressed a controversy surrounding the Year 2 Physical Education and Health Elective Teacher Manual for Senior High Schools.
He clarified that the contentious content was not developed under his tenure or that of President John Dramani Mahama, noting it originated in 2024.
“If I wanted to be politically mischievous, I would just say that this was not produced by my era or tenure as minister, not by President Mahama, and that this curriculum was developed in 2024,” Iddrisu stated.
He stressed, however, that the priority must be “what is good for Ghana, good for Ghanaian teachers, and good for Ghanaian learners.”
The minister revealed that he had tasked the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA) with taking full responsibility for the issue and remedying it promptly.
NaCCA has since determined that the manual’s definition of gender identity does not reflect Ghanaian values, culture, or norms.
Immediate actions include the recall of all 736 physical copies of the manual, with a revised version now accessible online.
“Nobody should be relying on their hard copies,” Iddrisu emphasized, directing stakeholders to the updated resource at www.curriculumresources.edu.gh.
He reminded educators that the curriculum is dynamic, with all revisions reflected in the online platform to ensure alignment with current standards and trends.
In his strongest directive, the minister ruled out any ambiguity in educational literature.
“There should be no ambiguity whatsoever regarding the definition of a man as a man, a woman as a woman, as in biological sex. And sex means biological sex,” he declared.
“Reference to man, woman, sex means reference to the biological sex and the sex of a person at birth.”
Iddrisu mandated that every Ministry of Education publication, Ghana Education Service (GES) material, and document from heads of educational institutions must adhere to this standard.
“That depicts and reflects Ghanaian values and our laws,” he added, underscoring the need to nurture future leaders in an environment that upholds societal morality.
The minister used the forum to affirm that the matter has been corrected, calling on all stakeholders to respect these “natural definitions” of sex, man, and woman moving forward.
Source: www.Kumasimail.com
