John Ntim Fordjour, Deputy Minister of Education, has entered the public discussion on a history textbook that was just released and is alleged to be demeaning to Christianity.
The deputy minister and lawmaker referred to the book's ideas as "appalling and misconceived" in a tweet.
He has consequently requested that, in addition to the mandate that the book be pulled off the shelves and the concerns mentioned be addressed, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA) consider issuing sanctions to the publishers of the book.
Parts of the book "History of Ghana for Basic Schools: Learners' Book Four," which is making the rounds on social media, claim that Ghana's poverty is caused by Christianity and that the latter has sparked violent conflicts in the country.
Furthermore, it contends that religion discourages individuals from looking for doable solutions to their unfavourable living circumstances.
On Friday, May 26, 2023, Mr. Ntim Fordjour responded on Twitter and praised NaCCA for acting quickly to recall the books.
He demanded the imposition of sanctions against the book's publishers and denounced them.
"I completely denounce the fairly offensive material that was sneaked into the market for gullible students' use in a textbook written by 'Excellence Publications. The information is offensive and misguided. I agree that NaCCA should have recalled the books and imposed penalties earlier. The member of parliament for Assin South wrote in a tweet, "Ghana is most peaceful for a reason, and the crucial role of religion cannot be questioned.
Response of the Curriculum Assessment Council
On May 24, 2023, the publishers were given a directive by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA) to remove the textbook from sale right away.
In a press release, NaCCA stated that the withdrawal was made to allow for additional inspections and guarantee that the problems with the material reported had been fixed.
Although the book released by Excellence Series went through the usual clearance process, it was claimed that the information spreading on social media about the "disadvantages of Christianity" did not fully match the curriculum that had been authorised.
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