The National Council for Curriculum Assessment (NaCCA) says it has not approved any of the three textbooks with bigotry content circulating on social media
John Mensah Anang, acting director general of National Council for Curriculum Assessment (NaCCA), has clarified that three controversial textbooks – History of Ghana Textbook 3 by Badu Nkansah Publications, History of Ghana for Basic 6 and Golden English Basic 4 by Golden Publications – have not been approved.
Speaking on The Asaase Breakfast Show with Nana Yaa Mensah on Monday (15 March), the NaCCA boss said the Council is currently reviewing one of the books in contention, History of Ghana Text Book 3.
“With the book that you are talking about, it is only the History of Ghana, Text Book 3 by Badu Nkansah Publications, which is currently under review. The other two books have not even reached the doors of NaCCA,” Anang said.
He added: “What the publishers of Ghana have been doing is that they publish the book and on the blindside of NaCCA they go into the system, they meet with proprietors and headmistress mostly the private schools and then they start selling their books over there, that is the challenge we are facing now.”
Vigilance of public
Anang commended the public for their vigilance in ensuring such unapproved books are brought to fore for public scrutiny.
“So now that we are cracking the whip based on the issues coming up and we are so proud of the Ghanaian that they are now up to the task. That this time they do not kowtow to anything that come out, people are able to go through, assess and authenticate and draw our attention, the public is now helping us and we now appreciate it.”
He further revealed that publishers have since apologised to NaCCA.
Parliament to haul minister
Meanwhile, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, North Tongu MP, has served notice he will file an urgent parliamentary question to request for the education minister to appear before the House to answer questions on the alleged bigotry textbooks.
He is seeking among other things to establish: “Whether the minister is aware of the said books in question; whether they have been approved and what steps is government is taking to purge the schools and book shops from offensive, divisive and incendiary publications of such nature?”
“This is to notify all concerned that I have filed an urgent parliamentary question requesting the Minister for Education to appear before the House and respond to the two bigoted publications in issue,” Ablakwa posted on Facebook.
He added: “The text of my urgent question is as follows: “To ask the Honourable Minister responsible for Education whether the publications titled: History of Ghana, Text Book 3 by Badu Nkansah Publications authored by Badu Nkansah and Nelly Martinson Anim and Golden English Basic 4 authored by Okyere Baafi Alexander both of which contain bigoted content targeted at the Ewe ethnic group have come to his Ministry’s attention; were they approved by any of his Ministry’s agencies and what steps Government is taking to purge our schools and book shops from offensive, divisive and incendiary publications of this nature?”
Source: asaaseradio
