The Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has issued a firm directive clarifying that sex and gender in Ghana’s educational system must be defined strictly based on biological terms, emphasizing that “man” refers to a biological male, “woman” to a biological female, and “sex” to the 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 (G&C) framework, the Minister addressed ongoing public discussions surrounding content in certain educational materials.
“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 stated.
Mr. Iddrisu stressed that there should be no ambiguity in how these terms are presented in Ghana’s education system, directing that all educational literature must clearly reflect this biological understanding.
“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 explained.
He further noted that this position aligns with Ghana’s cultural values and social norms, fostering an environment where learners can appreciate societal morality.
“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, “the morality of our society rests in the extent to which they uphold these values.”
The Minister revealed that steps have already been taken to address inconsistencies in existing 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.”
Looking ahead, Mr. Iddrisu directed that all future publications by the Ministry of Education, the Ghana Education Service (GES), and heads of educational institutions must adhere to this natural 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 emphasized.
He urged a focus on what benefits the nation and its education stakeholders, asking, “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?”
The Minister disclosed that he has instructed the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA) to assume full responsibility for the controversy 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.
According to him, NaCCA has determined that the definition of gender identity in the manual does not align with Ghanaian values, culture, and norms.
Immediate actions include the recall of all 736 physically printed copies of the Year 2 Physical Education and Health (Elective) Teacher Manual for senior high schools.
A revised version has been released online, and the Minister cautioned against relying on hard copies.
“The online correction has been done appropriately, so nobody should be relying on their hard copies,” he stated.
In response, NaCCA withdrew the printed copies and apologised to the public, saying the section on gender identity was inconsistent with Ghanaian values and that a revised version aligned with a biological understanding of sex had been released online.
Mr. Iddrisu reminded stakeholders that the national curriculum is dynamic and regularly updated, advising teachers and the public to use the official online platform for the latest 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.”
This directive follows nationwide controversy over the teacher support manual published by NaCCA in 2024, which was intended to aid teachers with the new Senior High School curriculum introduced last year. The manual’s inclusion of a “gender identity” definition drew sharp criticism after it circulated online, with detractors arguing it deviated from Ghanaian cultural norms.