By Philip Antoh
The leadership of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) is raising red flags over what it describes as a deliberate attempt to undermine Ghana’s heritage.
In a sharp reaction to the discovery of “gender identity,” definitions in a recently withdrawn Senior High School (SHS) teacher manual, NAGRAT President Jacob Anaba alleged in an interview that the inclusion of such content was an act of cultural sabotage rather than a mere administrative oversight.
“They want to destroy our cultural identity. Those who put it in the manual must be a group of people who do not want the Ghana we have, or they are bent on destroying the cultural identity of this country. So one will be very surprised that if you lived in Ghana at this time, you would even contemplate putting it in any document.”
The controversy surrounds the Year 2 Physical Education and Health (Elective) Teacher Manual, which contained definitions suggesting that gender is a “deeply felt internal experience,” that may not correspond to biological sex.
While the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA) has since recalled the documents and issued a “biological-based” revision, the teachers’ union maintains that the “sneaking,” of these concepts into the 2024 supplementary guides points to a much deeper, more coordinated agenda.
For many education stakeholders, this is a case of history repeating itself. Mr. Anaba recalled the 2017 curriculum crisis, where similar gender-related content sparked a national “hue and cry.” At the time, the government issued firm assurances that such materials would be permanently expunged from the Ghanaian educational system.
NAGRAT expressed profound shock that nearly a decade after that public outcry, the same definitions have found their way back into official government-printed materials. According to Anaba, the fact that this content was hidden in a specialized elective manual – rather than the broader core curriculum – made it easier for the “agenda” to bypass initial scrutiny.
Teachers’ Discovery
The problematic content was reportedly flagged by classroom teachers who were among the first to receive the printed copies.
The NAGRAT boss noted that because Physical Education is a specialized elective, the number of teachers handling the subject in any given school is small, which initially delayed the discovery. However, once it was identified, the union moved swiftly to demand an immediate recall.
“This was discovered this year, and teachers raised issues about it. It came to our attention, and we wrote to NaCCA indicating our displeasure about what we have found in the manual.”
The NAGRAT President noted that even though the current Director-General of NaCCA, Professor Samuel Ofori Bekoe, reportedly claimed he met the manual in preparation upon assuming office, the association does not accept that as a valid excuse for the breach of national values.
Following the formal protest by NAGRAT and the subsequent public pressure led by figures like Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, NaCCA has directed all schools to return the physical manuals. While the Council frames the withdrawal as part of “routine quality assurance,” NAGRAT views it as a hard-fought victory for Ghanaian cultural sovereignty.
Anaba warned that the association would remain vigilant to ensure that these concepts do not reappear in future digital or printed updates.
For the teachers’ union, the sanctity of the classroom is non-negotiable, and any attempt to reintroduce foreign ideological definitions under the guise of “supplementary material” will be met with fierce resistance.