Expedite Book devt bill to sanitize sector- Education Watch to govt

The Africa Education Watch has called on the government to as a matter of urgency expedite action on the Ghana Book Development Bill to sanitize the education sector.

The think-tank’s call comes on the back of the outrage expressed by some broadcasters over the textbook for primary school children which appears to denigrate Ewes in the country.

The textbook in question also negatively characterizes Ghana’s first President Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.

According to former Citi FM broadcaster Richard Dela Sky, the book must be withdrawn.

In a quick reaction, via a statement, signed by its Executive Director Kofi Asare, the Education Watch noted that while acknowledging that NaCCA is working hard to ensure only NaCCA approved textbooks are used in schools, the challenge of regulating published content that finds its way into the open market is beyond NaCCA.”

It went on to indicate that “professionalism and ethical conduct are prerequisites for the development of every field of business or venture; hence, the urgent need to expedite action on the Ghana Book Development Bill which has been in Parliament for some time now.”

“The said Bill when passed into Law should provide a legal and institutional framework to guide the Ministry of Education and Ghana Book Development Council develop and implement a comprehensive National Book Development Policy with ethical and professional standards in book development.”

The statement ended by calling for “further investigations by National Security to ascertain how samples of books submitted to NaCCA by the publishers and queried by same in September 2020 found its way in commercial quantities unto the Ghanaian book market in 2021.”

Meanwhile, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA) of Ghana has revealed that these textbooks on the market have not been approved for use.

A statement by the outfit read “in each of these books and others discovered on social media, the authors make inappropriate references to personalities and ethnic groups which are deemed unfortunate, distasteful, and are in contradiction with NaCCA’s Book Submission Guidelines and Approval Methodology which guide the work of publishers and authors.”