A significant controversy has erupted in Ghana concerning the alleged introduction of LGBT-related content into the Year Two Physical Education and Health teacher’s manual, sparking strong accusations against the government and highlighting serious concerns about quality control in the curriculum development process. The issue, which came to public attention on Thursday, January 15, through discussions on Joy FM’s Top Story, has drawn diverse reactions from political figures and education experts.

Former Deputy Minister of Education, Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, has vehemently accused the government of deliberately and systematically introducing such content. He asserted that this move is part of a “coordinated, orchestrated and deliberate introduction by this government.” Rev. Fordjour recounted that his initial concerns were dismissed until he raised public alarm, which he claims compelled the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA) to convene emergency meetings and issue a press statement. NaCCA reportedly assured the public that contentious definitions relating to gender and gender identity had been reviewed, corrected, and uploaded online with links to the revised document.

However, Rev. Fordjour disputed these assurances, arguing that the revised manual remains problematic. He stated, “When you open the link, you realise that the definition of sex, sexuality and sexual orientation is still there. Sexuality is described as a broad range of concepts related to sexual feelings, attractions and behaviours towards other people, not necessarily the opposite sex. It includes sexual orientation, sexual behaviour and sexual identity.” He further claimed that pages three and five of the so-called revised document reveal troubling references to bodily autonomy and freedom from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender. In a related social media post on Tuesday, January 13, the Assin South MP had criticised the printing and distribution of these materials, alleging that the governing NDC had “mischievously and deliberately smuggled” LGBTQ ideology into the curriculum, despite publicly opposing such issues, and accused the government of frustrating parliamentary efforts to consider the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill while allowing similar ideas in the education system. He called for the immediate recall of all affected textbooks and teacher manuals.

In response to the controversy, Dr. Peter Anti-Partey, the Executive Director of the Institute for Education Studies (IFEST), attributed the problem primarily to weaknesses in quality control within the curriculum development process. Speaking on Joy FM’s Top Story on Thursday, Dr. Anti-Partey explained that content in teachers’ manuals is supposed to be drawn directly from the approved curriculum and should undergo strict scrutiny before publication. He emphasized that if the quality control aspect had been taken seriously, these LGBT issues would have been flagged and addressed promptly.

Dr. Anti-Partey stressed that the issue is not about timing but rather the failures in the curriculum review process. He noted that reviewers of teachers’ manuals are professionally trained to work with the approved curriculum side by side, ensuring that only content explicitly captured in the curriculum is reflected in supplementary teaching materials. Given the highly sensitive and controversial nature of sexuality and gender-related issues within Ghanaian society, Dr. Anti-Partey argued that reviewers should have exercised greater caution and escalated such content for discussion with authorities before approval and distribution. He stated, “This is a very controversial issue within this community. If you are reviewing this manual and you see this, your instinct should tell you that this is something to be discussed further before it is kept in the book.”

The controversy specifically centres on a definition contained in the Year 2 Physical Education and Health (Elective) Teacher Manual, a supplementary guide developed in 2024 to support the implementation of the new SHS curriculum. Rev. Fordjour claimed that hundreds of thousands of copies of this manual, which is central to classroom instruction, were printed and distributed nationwide. Following the outcry, NaCCA has directed teachers in possession of hard copies of the manual to return them as authorities review their internal quality assurance systems. Dr. Anti-Partey welcomed NaCCA’s admission of shortcomings, viewing the episode as a crucial lesson for strengthening review and quality control mechanisms to prevent similar controversies in the future.