The Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has made clear the government’s stance on how sex should be defined in educational materials, emphasizing that it must refer exclusively to biological sex determined at birth.
Speaking at a training session in Tamale on the Ghanaian Youth Handbook and the rollout of the Guidance and Counselling framework, the Minister emphasized that there should be no ambiguity in Ghana’s education system regarding the definition of sex.
“Regarding the definition of a man as in a man, a woman as in a woman, as in biological sex, and sex means biological sex. Reference to man, woman, sex means reference to the biological sex and the sex of a person at birth, settled,” he said.
His remarks came amid public debate surrounding content found in some educational materials.
The Minister stressed that all educational resources used in Ghana must clearly reflect this definition. “So, in every educational literature in Ghana, must reflect sex. So there should be no ambiguity whatsoever in the definition of a man, a woman, and sex. For our purposes, the sex of a person at birth holds,” he said.
Mr Iddrisu explained that this stance aligns with Ghana’s cultural values and social norms.
“That depicts and reflects Ghanaian values and our norms. And that is how we want to bring up all Ghanaian learners in an environment that they appreciate,” he said, adding that “the morality of our society rests in the extent to which they uphold these values.”
The Education Minister revealed that his Ministry has taken action to address any inconsistencies in current materials.
“So I thought that I should use your forum to respond to this. And we have accordingly corrected it,” he stated. “So reference to a man, woman, and sex is reference to a biological sex.”
He also issued a directive that all future publications from the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service must adhere to this definition.
“Forward, every publication of the Ministry of Education and the GES, and to all heads of institutions involved in the educational space, must respect this natural definition of sex and the natural definition of a man and a woman. Nothing more,” he said.
The Minister, however, emphasized that the priority should be what serves the country and its learners best.
“What is important is to answer the question, what is it that is good for Ghana, and good for Ghanaian teachers, and good for Ghanaian learners?” he asked.
Mr Iddrisu disclosed that he had instructed the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NACCA) to take ownership of the matter and resolve it urgently. “I’ve asked NACCA, the institution responsible, to take full responsibility for the controversy and to remedy it with urgency,” he said.
He noted that NACCA has found that certain sections of the manual did not align with Ghanaian values. “I’m told that NACCA has determined that the definition of gender identity contained in the manual is not reflective of Ghanaian values and culture and our norms,” he said.
The Minister detailed the immediate actions taken to remedy the situation, including the withdrawal of printed copies of the material in question.
“Directed that a recall of all the 736 physically printed copies of the year two physical education and health elective teacher manual for senior high schools,” he said, adding that a revised version has been released online.
He warned teachers against using hard copies. “The online correction has been done appropriately, so nobody should be relying on their hard copies,” he stated.
Mr Iddrisu also reminded stakeholders that the national curriculum undergoes regular updates and urged teachers and the public to use the official online platform for current materials. “The curriculum is dynamic and regularly updated to reflect current standards and trends,” he said.
“All revisions and updates will be reflected in the online version available at www.curriculumresources.edu.gh. So when you go there, you will know what is applicable, what must be instructive, and what must be in use.”
The Minister’s statement comes in response to a national controversy surrounding a teacher support manual published by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA). The Year 2 Physical Education and Health (Elective) Teacher Manual contained a definition of “gender identity” that critics argued did not align with Ghanaian cultural values and norms.
The manual was created in 2024 to assist teachers with the new Senior High School curriculum launched last year, but attracted widespread public criticism after the definition was shared online.