Ntim Fordjour demands review of SHS teachers’ manual over gender controversy

Former Deputy Education Minister, Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, has called for a comprehensive review of the Senior High School (SHS) curriculum and all related teaching and learning materials.

This follows concerns over a controversial definition of gender identity contained in the Physical Education and Health teachers’ manual currently in use in schools.

Speaking on Joy FM’s Top Story on Tuesday, Rev. Fordjour stressed that curriculum development follows a structured process and warned against the introduction of unauthorised content.

“It must be properly looked at and comprehensively reviewed. There’s a whole process. Once a curriculum is developed, all the consequential teaching and learning materials — the teachers’ manual, the textbooks, and supplementary materials — are developed from it. You don’t sneak in or smuggle foreign material into it,” he said.

The Assin South MP questioned the origin of the manual, which he noted bears a 2025 copyright and was printed by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA) in collaboration with the Ministry of Education.

“They must explain. There is a lot of probing to do,” he added.

Rev. Fordjour, who is also a member of Parliament’s Education Committee and part of the Minority Caucus, said demands have been made for key officials to account for the development and circulation of the material.

“We are all demanding that the Minister and the NaCCA Director appear and offer explanations. They must recall the manuals and issue a statement. So far, we haven’t seen any statement,” he said.

Meanwhile, NaCCA has directed all teachers in possession of hard copies of the SHS Physical Education and Health teachers’ manual to return them immediately, as authorities move to address the controversy.

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