The Ministry of Education has rejected claims that the Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, authorised a Senior High School (SHS) teacher manual containing definitions of gender identity alleged to be inconsistent with Ghanaian values.
In a press statement issued on Saturday, January 17, the Ministry described the allegation published by the Centre for Democratic Movement as false, misleading and without merit.
“The Ministry states unequivocally that this allegation is false and entirely without basis,” the statement said.
According to the Ministry, the Physical Education and Health (Elective) Teacher Manual for SHS Year Two, which has sparked public debate, was developed long before Mr Iddrisu assumed office as Minister for Education.
It explained that the curriculum development process began in 2021, following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry and Transforming Teaching, Education and Learning (T-TEL). The agreement was aimed at providing technical advisory services, project management, research and implementation support to improve teaching and learning outcomes nationwide.
The Ministry said the process was led by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA), with technical support from T-TEL, and involved extensive stakeholder engagement.
A rigorous selection process, it noted, led to the involvement of more than 300 Ghanaian professionals drawn from secondary schools, Colleges of Education, industry and universities to develop the curriculum and its accompanying teaching and learning materials.
The statement stressed that the development and production of the Physical Education and Health teacher manual were completed before Mr Iddrisu’s appointment, and that he had no oversight or involvement in the material.
“The development and production of this manual predate the appointment of Hon. Haruna Iddrisu as Minister for Education. He therefore had no oversight of the said material produced,” the Ministry said.
Clarifying the Minister’s role since assuming office, the Ministry explained that the only official materials produced under his leadership are the Professional Learning Communities (PLC) handbooks, which are intended to support teacher collaboration and improve subject-specific teaching and learning outcomes.
It added that the PLC handbook contains no ambiguity regarding the definition of gender.
The Ministry reaffirmed its commitment to Ghana’s educational values, transparency and accountability, and urged the public to disregard unverified claims surrounding the controversial manual.
