Professor Richardson Addai-Mununkum, a Professor of Curriculum and Pedagogy at the University of Education, Winneba, has dismissed recent criticism of the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA) as “purely political and unfounded.”
The controversy stems from a teacher’s manual for Physical Education and Health (Elective), which contained content on gender identity that has since been withdrawn.
Speaking on GBC Radio Central’s Morning Show, Thursday, January 15, 2026, Prof. Addai-Mununkum attributed the “over-politicisation” of the issue to Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, the MP for Assin South.
He emphasized that the inclusion of the disputed material was an error, not a deliberate government action. “Governments do not deliberately interfere in curriculum content development,” he stated, explaining that while the government appoints NaCCA’s head, the actual curriculum is developed by over 200 non-partisan professionals.
“The political football regarding education issues doesn’t help anyone’s cause,” he lamented.
Prof. Addai-Mununkum pointed out that Ntim Fordjour was Deputy Minister of Education when the curriculum was developed, implying the MP shares responsibility. “If politicians are to be held accountable for the current impasse, then he ought to bear responsibility,” he clarified.
The professor defended NaCCA’s decision to recall the manuals as a rational act of good faith. He assured parents and stakeholders that the content was only in the teacher’s manual, not student textbooks, and was unlikely to be taught given Ghana’s cultural context.
“Based on our ethos, gender is purely male and female with no other variations,” he said, calling the incident an unfortunate error. “I was part of the curriculum development team tasked with ensuring our cultural values are reflected. This is simply unfortunate, but no reason for alarm.”
He concluded by urging the public to remain calm, stating the issue was being resolved holistically by professionals.
Source By DC Kwame Kwakye
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