Johnson Asiedu-Nketiah
The Executive Secretary of the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA), Dr. Prince Armah, has warned the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) to stop politicising the planned introduction of the Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) in primary schools in Ghana.
The National Democratic Congress at a press conference recently noted that “the belated and insincere assurances of President Akufo-Addo to the leadership of the religious community to the effect that Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) would not be introduced in the school curriculum under his watch.”
General Secretary of the NDC, Johnson Asiedu-Nketiah, who addressed the media explained that the President elected to speak only after the horses had bolted from the stable door and in the face of an avalanche of condemnation which he could no longer ignore.
The NDC, he said, found it extremely difficult to reconcile the President’s belatedly lame assurances with the well established and concrete facts known to many.
Ghanaians are well aware that CSE has already found expression in the new Standard Based Curriculum and the Teacher Resource Packs for Basic Schools, he claimed on behalf of NDC.
He added that this is an incontrovertible fact which teachers and their Union leaders have confirmed firmly and publicly.
Ghanaians are now privy to a raft of official documentation which include the 2019 Budget Statement approved by Parliament last year, invitation letters and reports of workshops that have earlier been convened to train teachers on CSE implementation, he added.
“Also, contrary to the claims of President Akufo-Addo, it is clear from objectives of the approved CSE guidelines, that at the core of this satanic programme is a subtle attempt by the government to inculcate in our children acceptance and tolerance for LGBT which affronts our laws and socio-cultural values as a people,” according to Mr. Asiedu-Nketiah.
But Dr. Armah in an article, said it would amount to double standards on the part of the NDC to condemn the policy which was introduced under former President John Mahama in 2015.
“It would amount to double standards… your Government started CSE, you personally opened the international conference that extensively discussed deepening CSE in Ghana.. if the people are not happy with it now, we will deal with it…but you cannot introduce, promote and fund CSE programmes since 2013 and turn around to accuse the Government of introducing something alien to the Ghanaian education ecosystem,” he blasted NDC.
“That is intellectual dishonesty, that is propaganda…on the face of all the records available,” Dr. Armah told the opposition party.
“And to Mr Jacob Kor, former Director-General, GES, You signed the CSE contract/agreement with UNFPA (the institution that funded the controversial CSE guidelines) so it’s important that you maintain your silence and allow this administration to deal with the matters arising,” according to him.
BY Melvin Tarlue