New school curriculum does not include CSE - Minister

Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, the Minister of Education, has stated that the new standard based curriculum for Kindergarten (KG)to Primary Six (P6) does not include Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) as speculated in sections of the media.

"The new curriculum framework approved by Cabinet and the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA) for use in schools does not include CSE", he said.

Dr Prempeh speaking at a News conference in Accra on Tuesday to clarify issues on CSE said NaCCA had not approved any material on CSE as it was not included in the approved and published KG-P6 curriculum framework.

He said the 152,000 teachers trained for the new curriculum were not trained to teach CSE adding that "the teacher resource packs developed for teachers to enable them teach the new school curriculum from KG-P6 does not include CSE".

He however appealed to the public and faith-based organisations to exercise restraint and verify the facts of official government policy before making public pronouncements.

"The nation should be rest assured that the Government and the Ministry will not compromise our societal values in the delivery of quality education,"he said.

He said the Ministry would not under any circumstance implement any programme that went contrary to the legal, cultural norms, values and beliefs of the Ghanaian people.

Ghana and the united Nations education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation launched the CSE curriculum in a bid to empower adolescents and young people to deepen their scope of existing activities.

However, Reverend Dr. Frimpong Manso, the President of the Ghana Pentecostal and charismatic council described the planned CSE guidelines to be introduced in public schools by the GES as “satanic”.

Dr Manso said he would resist the roll-out of the guidelines with all his strength and power, explaining that, taking the children to CSE could lead to the degradation of the country’s moral fibre and religion.

Also, the Catholic Bishops Conference said it was not consulted on the introduction of the CSE into the basic school curriculum, adding that the conference would reject the CSE if it is indeed an attempt to introduce children to LGBT issues.

The Concerned Teachers Association of Ghana said the association were not aware of the CSE, which is starting in the next academic year.