Free SHS was not rolled out to teach unnecessary things – Akufo-Addo condemns CSE

In a bid to calm nerves of Ghanaians after public uproar concerning the controversy surrounding CSE, President Akufo-Addo has said the guideline document will not be approved during his tenure.

According to 3news, Akufo-Addo who was addressing congregants at the St Cyprians Anglican Church in the Ashanti regional capital, on Sunday, October 6, reiterated that his vision is to have an educated country for national development, and not to promote immorality; as would be propagated by the document.

“The Free SHS was rolled out to empower the citizens but, was not to teach unnecessary things,” the President is reported to have stated

The country has been thrown into a frenzy after snippets of materials about Comprehensive Sexuality Education as well as a video on the Education Minister speaking about its approval circulated on social media.

While many have described the new curriculum as ‘satanic’, others believe the introduction of the programme is government’s subtle way of indoctrinating the children to LGBT+ values, which prompted government to allay fears saying it has no explicit LGBT+ content.

The Ghana Education Service (GES) was supposed to, from next term, include sex education in the curriculum of basic schools to equip schoolchildren to recognise and experience their sexuality.

At age six, Primary One pupils will be introduced to values and societal norms and how to interact with the different sexes and groups. As the pupils graduate to the upper primary, they will be made to study different modules of sexuality that include relationship, friendship, dating and courtship.

The guideline module for 11-year-olds in Primary Six includes fertility, pregnancy-related issues, childbirth and respecting gender differences.

This is part of the Guidelines for the Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) that is expected to integrate gender, human values, and sexual and reproductive health rights perspectives into sexuality education in Ghana.

Although the government says the new guidelines for sexuality education has not been approved and denied plans to introduce any education that is frowned upon by Ghanaian laws and cultural norms, others think government, in the long run, will approve it since money has already been taken from the Government of Sweden for its implementation.