By Regina Kwapong
Running Mate for New Patriotic Party, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh (NAPO) has defended the NPP’s role in introducing Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) into Ghana’s curriculum during an exclusive interview on GTV Breakfast Show.
NAPO disclosed that they received letters from the Ghana Education Service (GES) in 2017 and 2019, directing the inclusion of CSE guidelines.
“In July, 2017, there was a draft guideline for comprehensive sexuality education, that had come out of the curriculum that was done, and in April, 2019, when we finished with the curriculum, we got a letter from Ghana Education Service to National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, NACA, on 29th April, that they should insert guidelines for comprehensive sexuality education in Ghana, they should insert it into our new curriculum, right, and that is this book”, he said.
Dr. Opoku Prempeh emphasized that the Cabinet approved the Curriculum and that the President allowed Professor Gyan Baffour to review the guidelines to ensure they aligned with Ghanaian culture. Professor Gyan Baffour found no major issues but suggested rephrasing certain phrases to avoid misinterpretation.
Furthermore, NAPO revealed significant changes to the school curriculum, transitioning from an objective-based approach to a standard-based curriculum. Meanwhile, the opposing party made revisions to the existing curriculum.
During the interview, he highlighted a particular challenge faced. He noted that certain subjects were encroaching on different domains, merging topics such as sanitation and environmental issues into specific sections of the curriculum.