The Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has clarified the government\u2019s position on the definition of sex, stating that it must strictly refer to biological sex and the sex of a person at birth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to the Minister, there should be no confusion in Ghana\u2019s education system about how sex is defined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRegarding the definition of a man as in a man, a woman as in a woman, as in biological sex, and sex means biological sex. Reference to man, woman, sex means reference to the biological sex and the sex of a person at birth, settled,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He made the clarification during a training session in Tamale on the Ghanaian Youth Handbook and the rollout of the Guidance and Counselling (G&C) framework, following public discussion around content in some educational materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said all educational materials used in the country must reflect this position clearly. \u201cSo, in every educational literature in Ghana, must reflect sex. So there should be no ambiguity whatsoever in the definition of a man, a woman, and sex. For our purposes, the sex of a person at birth holds,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Minister explained that this position reflects Ghana\u2019s cultural values and social norms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat depicts and reflects Ghanaian values and our norms. And that is how we want to bring up all Ghanaian learners in an environment that they appreciate,\u201d he said, adding that \u201cthe morality of our society rests in the extent to which they uphold these values.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mr Iddrisu said the Ministry of Education has taken steps to correct any inconsistencies in existing materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSo I thought that I should use your forum to respond to this. And we have accordingly corrected it,\u201d he stated. \u201cSo reference to a man, woman, and sex is reference to a biological sex.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He further directed that all future publications by the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service must comply with this definition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cForward, every publication of the Ministry of Education and the GES, and to all heads of institutions involved in the educational space, must respect this natural definition of sex and the natural definition of a man and a woman. Nothing more,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, the Minister said the focus should be on what benefits the country and its learners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat is important is to answer the question, what is it that is good for Ghana, and good for Ghanaian teachers, and good for Ghanaian learners?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mr Iddrisu said he had directed the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NACCA) to take responsibility for the issue and act swiftly. \u201cI\u2019ve asked NACCA, the institution responsible, to take full responsibility for the controversy and to remedy it with urgency,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to him, NACCA has determined that parts of the manual did not reflect Ghanaian values. \u201cI\u2019m told that NACCA has determined that the definition of gender identity contained in the manual is not reflective of Ghanaian values and culture and our norms,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He outlined the immediate steps taken to address the situation, including the recall of printed copies of the affected material.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDirected that a recall of all the 736 physically printed copies of the year two physical education and health elective teacher manual for senior high schools,\u201d he said, adding that a revised version has been released online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He cautioned teachers not to rely on hard copies. \u201cThe online correction has been done appropriately, so nobody should be relying on their hard copies,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mr Iddrisu also reminded stakeholders that the national curriculum is regularly updated and advised teachers and the public to rely on the official online platform for up-to-date materials. \u201cThe curriculum is dynamic and regularly updated to reflect current standards and trends,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n