Dr. Prince Hamid Armah
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has condemned outright, “the incompetent and inept materials paraded by some publishers as books of instruction for our children.”
Popular publisher, Badu Nkansah Publications Limited, in particular, stands accused of putting together a history textbook for basic schools, contents of which have been found to be offensive to the Ewe ethnic grouping in the country.
The offensive textbook found its way onto the market, without any approval from the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA), the statutory body charged with the mandate of developing the national curriculum and assessing requisite standards for pre-tertiary education institutions (other than technical and vocational education and training institutions in the country).
Some aspects of the history textbook are clearly denigrating towards the Ewes; a development that has sparked outrage, with its attendant widespread condemnation.
Mr. Nkansah Publications issued a statement, admitting that “it is a mistake;” nevertheless, it appears the public is not putting the issue to rest.
NPP Statement
A statement signed by NPP Communications Director, Yaw Buaben Asamoa, yesterday said, “Distortions of history and bigoted stereotyping of ethnic groups cannot be the basis upon which the social identity of our children is nurtured and established.”
“In our world today, there is no profit to ethnic dominance or subjugation, considering the universal values that globalization imposes on us,” it added.
The NPP said that “current global values project universal human rights, encompassing respect for all peoples irrespective of nationality, ethnicity, religion, culture or gender,” adding, “Economies are being built on digital technology and innovation, creativity and skill development.”
“These are what will drive international competitiveness for Ghana and open opportunities for our young people, to muster their talents and fulfil their dreams,” the statement said, adding, “While we note that the NaCCA has not approved the publication, the NPP is urging them to refine and enforce their rules without fear or favour.”
NaCCA Action
“That way, products certified by NaCCA can help bring up well-balanced children, imbued with global values and pride for their country and its diverse cultures,” the statement further noted and urged “political and social leaders to speak to the issues, with the intention to bind us together as a people, with a nation and a common destiny.”
NDC Fire
Already, the caucus of Volta Region Members of Parliament (MPs), where the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has total dominance, has condemned the textbooks which portray the Ewe people in very bad light. The caucus has called for the publisher, which has acknowledged its faults, to be severely punished.
The MPs said that apart from seeing distortions of their tradition and history in the textbook, they also felt slighted by the publishers of the book – History of Ghana, and intimated that “reference is made to the erroneous impression that the Ewes vote for their chiefs to be selected.”
The caucus, in a statement read on the Floor of Parliament on its behalf by Peter Nortsu-Kotoe, NDC MP for Akatsi North, said that they found the contents of the books “most distasteful, backward, unacceptable and most reprehensible.”
Ex-NaCCA Boss
The Vice Chairman of the Education Committee of Parliament, Dr. Prince Hamid Armah, who until recently was the Head of NaCCA, has urged Parliament to consider a new Legislative Instrument (LI) to strengthen the NaCCA, since as he said, “The regulator has no powers of enforcement necessary to whip into line recalcitrant book publishers.”
Dr. Armah, who is the new NPP MP for Kwesimitsim in the Western Region, stated categorically that the said textbooks had not been approved by NaCCA.
He indicated, however, that some of the publishers, in the midstream of the laborious and meticulous processes of assessment, go ahead to publish educational materials without the consent of the NaCCA.
According to him, the NaCCA, by its current status, is powerless to effectively deal with such publishers, since it is not clothed with the power to undertake market surveillance and confiscation of unapproved textbooks meant for pre-tertiary educational institutions in the country, let alone the power to arrest of such charlatans.
“I will urge that, given the circumstances, Parliament considers a Legislative Instrument to address this lacuna by empowering the NaCCA to ensure that no one sits somewhere to produce educational materials which do not meet certain benchmarks for the consumption of our children,” he stated.
Financial Muscle
“Currently, that is what it is, and these publishers are very powerful and influential, because they have the financial muscle; and one cannot just say he is going out to collect their books and burn them.”
Dr. Armah said “the Macmillan case with the government is a typical example. I think that it is an opportunity for us to legislate, and I will be pushing my colleagues on the Education Committee to see how we can best help to strengthen the institution, to have teeth to bite.”
“Let us say, inadvertently, the NaCCA does not have enforcement powers if a publisher refuses to bring his materials for NaCCA approval, there is no punitive sanction against him,” he stressed.
He said any attempt to blame the NaCCA for dereliction of duty, and the government for doing everything to marginalize a certain ethnic group, was misplaced priority, which would invariably derail efforts at holistically addressing the challenge.
He urged his colleagues not to give a political twist to the issue so as not to trivialize the gravamen of the threat to national cohesion and tranquility.
NaCCAOverview
Parliament last year passed the Education Regulatory Bodies Act 2020 (Act 1023), which established a body corporate known as the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment.
The Act, in section 103 said “the object of the council is to develop national curriculum and assessment standards for pre-tertiary education institutions other than technical and vocational education and training institutions.”
The NaCCA shall determine the goals, aims and structure of courses at the various levels of pre-tertiary education; develop national curriculum and assessment standards for pre-tertiary education institutions other than technical and vocational education and training institutions by developing, assessing, reviewing and improving national curriculum standards; and approving teaching and learning materials for use in pre-tertiary education institutions, and submitting reports with relevant recommendations to the minister on student achievement; among others.
By Ernest Kofi Adu