The Acting Deputy Executive Director of Operations at the Complementary Education Agency (CEA), Dziewornu Boli, has dismissed claims that the inclusion of LGBTQ+ related content in Teachers’ manual was deliberate or part of an agenda to undermine Ghanaian values.
Speaking in an interview on ABC In The Morning, Mr Boli described the situation as a “genuine mistake,” stressing that there was no intention to introduce content contrary to the country’s cultural and moral norms.
“The manual was a genuine mistake. There was absolutely no agenda to sneak in anything against Ghanaian values,” he said.
According to Mr Boli, the controversial manual was not produced under the current administration, but rather designed during the tenure of the previous government. He explained that the current leadership only identified the issue during a review process and took steps to correct it.
“The manual was designed under the previous administration. What we have done is to identify the error and correct it,” he stated.
Addressing criticisms that officials at the agency failed in their oversight responsibilities, Mr Boli rejected claims that anyone “slept on the job,” insisting that due diligence was carried out once the issue came to light.
“Nobody slept on the job. We corrected a mistake of the previous administration as soon as it was detected,” he said.
The controversy has sparked public debate, with some sections of society raising concerns over the inclusion of LGBTQ+ references in educational materials.
Meanwhile, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA) has withdrawn the controversial Senior High School teacher manual and recalled hard copies from circulation after determining that a section defining “gender identity” did not reflect Ghanaian cultural norms, values, or the approved national curriculum.
