By News Desk
Startling revelations emerging out of the highly contested Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) saga in the country’s education policy discourse due to its intersections with culture, religion, and politics detailed how John Mahama-led National Democratic Congress (NDC) government secured whopping fifty-one million ($51,000,000.00) United States of America dollars to promote CSE programmes.
Out of the amount, which was part of the UNFPA’s 6th Country Programme (CP6), spanning 2012 to 2016, USD33.9 million was specifically allocated for reproductive health initiatives, including CSE development and implementation.
The revelation is contained in the latest scholarly analysis by Deputy Minister for Works and Housing, Dr. Prince Hamid Armah where he disclosed that “A pivotal moment occurred during the March 20-22, 2013 workshop at the Forest Hotel in Dodowa, organised by GES, UNFPA, and key stakeholders, including MoFEP and NGOs like Curious Minds. The workshop produced the Annual Work Plan for CSE’s nationwide introduction. By the end of 2016, CSE had been incorporated into the Adolescent and Youth Health Service Policy and Strategy (2016-2020), targeting comprehensive sexuality education for youth across Ghana (GHS, 2016).”
On 10th February 2016, former President John Dramani Mahama officially opened the 7th Africa Conference on Sexual Health and Rights at the Kempinski Hotel in Accra.
His address, according to Dr. Armah, the Member of Parliament for the Kwasimintim constituency in the western region, underscored Ghana’s dedication to advancing sexual and reproductive health rights, focusing on CSE’s role in empowering youth and addressing Africa’s health challenges.
The event, disclosed reinforced Ghana’s leadership in promoting CSE under President Mahama. On 11th February, a plenary session of the conference focused on “Human Rights and Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights of Adolescents and Youth,” while a WHO-led session titled “State-of-the-art on Comprehensive Sexuality Education” emphasised CSE’s central role in addressing these issues. These events confirmed that CSE initiatives were already underway in line with the UNFPA/GoG agreement.
During this period, which this paper’s independent checks have revealed to be true, the NDC government endorsed several NGO-led CSE activities. One notable example was the 2013 pilot project by Rutgers International, The World Starts With Me (WSWM), in selected schools across Ghana. Described as an “interactive computer-based CSE programme,” WSWM aimed to explore gender identity, sexuality, and relationships through digital modules (UNFPA, 2013).
Also, in December 2013, Savanna Signatures launched its Sexual Health Education (SHE) project in the Northern and Volta regions, using ICT tools to educate young people on reproductive health and sexuality rights (GNA, 2013). These projects were clear endorsements of CSE initiatives that extended beyond traditional classroom instruction (Savana Signatures, 2015).
The NDC government, the former National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA) boss noted, more so, piloted CSE in several districts, embedding it into the Enhanced School Health Education Programme (E-SHEP). “By November 2013, district trainers in areas like Asante Akim South and Bawku Municipal were trained on CSE and HIV/AIDS education. The government also formalised these initiatives into national curricula. A key expected output of the 2014 UNFPA Country Programme was ‘to strengthen national capacity for the design and implementation of comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) within policies and curricula.’
Further evidence of CSE implementation came from a letter dated January 6, 2017, from the Palladium Group, which invited GHARH (Ghana Adolescent Reproductive Health) project partners for a roundtable discussion. The letter stated that “GES has a revised curriculum with integrated sexuality education rolled out from KG through to senior high school in all schools across the country.” The GHARH Project, funded by DFID (now FCDO), provided clear proof of CSE’s successful nationwide integration.
Despite the NDC’s leadership in CSE policy development, the party, Dr. Armah disclosed, orchestrated a national outcry in 2019, falsely claiming that the NPP government had introduced CSE into the curriculum.
The party circulated adult materials from the Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana (PPAG), misrepresenting them as part of the new curriculum (Armah, 2019), which narrative portrayed the NPP as imposing inappropriate content on young children, inflaming cultural and religious sensitivities.
But in reality, no CSE was being implemented at the time; the guidelines were still under review, and no decision had been made on including CSE in the school curriculum (GES & MoE, 2019).
However, the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) response, by focusing on addressing genuine concerns rather than engaging in political conflict, helped retain the government’s credibility.
Published at page 8 is the full unedited smashing revelation by the Manifesto Chairman on Education for the Dr. Bawumia campaign.
Stay tuned…
