Primary school history curriculum not pro-Danquah – NaCCA

The National Council for Curriculum & Assessment (NaCCA) has denied claims and assertions that the new history curriculum for primary schools is structured to amplify Dr J. B. Danquah, one of the forebears of President Nana Akufo-Addo and the Danquah-Busia-Dombo tradition that birthed the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP).

A press statement signed by Dr. Prince H. Armah, the Ag. Executive Secretary of NaCCA, said such accusations put a “partisan political coloration” on the project, a situation NaCCA considers “regrettable”.

NaCCA said: “The experts who designed the curriculum were not selected on the basis of any political considerations, and it is unfortunate for anyone to suggest otherwise”.

It explained that: “The likes of Prof. Kwame Osei Kwarteng, Prof. Wilson Yayoh, Dr. Samuel Boadi Siaw, Mrs. Anitha Adu-Boahen and other historians who worked on the History Curriculum are all scholars of great repute and proven integrity who have nothing to gain by skewing historical facts one way or the other. For quality assurance, the curriculum was reviewed by Professor Emeritus D. E. K. Amenumey”.

Read the full NaCCA statement below:

PUBLIC CONCERNS ON THE HISTORY CURRICULUM

The attention of the National Council for Curriculum & Assessment (NaCCA) has been drawn to some concerns raised on certain social and electronic media platforms, claiming that the new history curriculum for primary schools is skewed towards amplifying the role of Dr. J.B. Danquah in Ghana’s history to serve a political interest.

These concerns tend to give a partisan political coloration to the development of the history curriculum which NaCCA considers regrettable.

NaCCA, therefore, wishes to provide the following important clarifications:

1. History is chronological and periodical in nature. The period covered in the history curriculum at the primary level focuses mainly on the pre-independent events that formed the basis for the later development of political activities which contributed to the independence of Ghana. At this stage Dr. J. B. Danquah played a prominent role. It is therefore important for our young learners to appreciate the chronology of the events of our political history.

2. At the JHS and SHS levels, the history curriculum will highlight further details on the independence and post-independence political activities. This is where Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and other political leaders and regimes feature more prominently.

3. The experts who designed the curriculum were not selected on the basis of any political considerations, and it is unfortunate for anyone to suggest otherwise. The likes of Prof. Kwame Osei Kwarteng, Prof. Wilson Yayoh, Dr. Samuel Boadi Siaw, Mrs. Anitha Adu-Boahen and other historians who worked on the History Curriculum are all scholars of great repute and proven integrity who have nothing to gain by skewing historical facts one way or the other. For quality assurance, the curriculum was reviewed by Professor Emeritus D. E. K. Amenumey.

Whilst NaCCA appreciates and values public feedback on the new curriculum as an important element in helping to improve learning outcomes through a robust and responsive curriculum, we wish to state for the avoidance of doubt that our work is based mainly on academic and professional considerations.

NaCCA looks forward to receiving more feedbacks from the public on the new curriculum. Further, NaCCA wishes to thank the public for the generally warm reception given to the new standards-based curriculum.

Dr. Prince H. Armah

Ag. Executive Secretary