The President of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Jacob Anaba, says the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA) was aware of the controversial “gender identity” content in a Senior High School teacher manual long before public criticism led to its withdrawal.
In an interview, Mr Anaba said the issue was not new and should never have resurfaced, especially after strong national opposition to similar content in the past.
“In 2017, this was introduced into the curriculum, and we all protested. The government assured us in 2019 that it had been removed,” he said.
He described the reappearance of the material as alarming.
“If you lived in Ghana at that time, you wouldn’t even consider putting such content into any document,” he said.
“What is even more surprising is that it appeared in a teacher’s manual and not in the official curriculum.”
NaCCA recently withdrew printed copies of the Year Two Physical Education and Health (Elective) Teacher Manual after admitting that sections on “gender identity” did not reflect Ghanaian culture, norms, and values.
The manual, developed in 2024 to support the new SHS curriculum introduced last academic year, had already been approved, printed with public funds, and distributed nationwide before concerns were raised.
NaCCA has since released a revised version, which it says aligns with national values and a biological understanding of gender.
Mr Anaba said the inclusion of the content could not have been accidental.
“Those who put it there either do not want the Ghana we have or are deliberately undermining our cultural identity,” he said.
He explained that teachers were the first to raise concerns after eventually discovering the content.
“This came to light this year when teachers flagged it,” he said. “We then wrote formally to NaCCA to express our displeasure.”
He noted that the subject matter made early detection difficult.
“Physical Education is taught by only one or two teachers in most schools, so it’s not easy to detect such issues quickly,” he explained.
According to Mr Anaba, NAGRAT expected immediate action once NaCCA was notified.
“After we informed them, they directed that the books be withdrawn from schools,” he said.
When asked about NaCCA’s response after NAGRAT’s formal complaint, Mr Anaba said the council indicated it was correcting the manual.
“They told us they were removing those definitions entirely,” he said.
However, he rejected NaCCA’s explanation that the content predated the current leadership.
“This issue arose in 2017, there was a backlash, and we were assured it wouldn’t happen again,” he said. “Yet somehow, it found its way back into the manual.”
Referring to comments by the NaCCA Director-General, Mr Anaba said the explanation that the material was already in progress when he assumed office was unacceptable.
“We cannot accept that,” he said, adding that NAGRAT insisted the content be completely removed from the manual.
