Video of how pupils are taught sexuality education pops up

Despite claims that the Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) curriculum introduced by the Ghana Education Service (GES) will begin next academic year and has nothing to do with labelling of intimate body parts, a video has emerged of a teacher teaching pupils about their sex organs.

The teacher, in a video gone viral on social media, instructed the pupils to repeat after her the names of their private parts in a local language, Fante.

The children who felt embarrassed mentioning the names were advised by the teacher to embrace it, as they are part of their body and therefore need to learn the right words for these organs, instead of the usual nicknames.

“Why are you laughing? There’s nothing bad about it, it’s part of your body. The men have pen*s; say after me... and the ladies too we don’t call it ‘kakai’, it’s your v*gina; so say it after me. Why don’t you shy away or laugh when I say my hand or eye but when I say pen*s and v*gina, you start laughing? It’s part of your body; do you understand what I’m telling you? What do you see when a lady removes her panty”?

However, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA) of the Education Ministry has denied reports that it has introduced sexually explicit materials as part of the curricula for primary schools.

According to the Head of NaCCA, Dr. Prince Hamid Armah, people are deliberately sharing adult images to create wrong impressions that those materials are part of the curricula for primary schools.

Social media has been flooded with sexually explicit images which critics claim are excerpts from the Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) curricula, with government and the Ghana Education Service (GES) facing several backlash since its publication.

Legal Practitioner, Moses Foh Amoaning has been at the forefront describing the new curriculum as a deliberate attempt to teach children about LGBT issues.

Some other members of the Clergy have also described the new curriculum as satanic, calling on the GES to withdraw it as soon as possible.

But, GES in a press statement, strongly debunked claims that the CSE is a subtle attempt to indoctrinate pupils on homosexuality.

The statement read: “The attention of Management of the Ghana Education Service has been drawn to discussions on various media platforms over allegations that the GES is introducing explicit sexual information to children as young as age four under the guise 01 Comprehensive Sexual Education (CSE).

The new Standard Based Curriculum being implemented has nothing to do with LGBT issues, masturbation or explicit display/labelling of intimate body parts. In all the training programmes on the curriculum from simulation through master training to the training of the 152.000 KG-P6 teachers, there was no mention of any of the issues referred to above.

"The CSE does not seek to throw out the advocacy for sexual abstinence, but rather seeks to reinforce it. The goal of CSE is to equip school children with age and cultural appropriate information to explore and nurture positive values and attitudes towards their sexual and reproductive health and to develop self -esteem, respect for human rights and gender equality. It further seeks to help students to make informed decisions about their health, with emphasis on Ghanaian cultural values and norms."