The Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has clarified the government’s position on the definition of sex, stating that it must strictly refer to biological sex and the sex of a person at birth.

According to the Minister, there should be no confusion in Ghana’s education system about how sex is defined.

“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 said.

He made the clarification during a training session in Tamale on the Ghanaian Youth Handbook and the rollout of the Guidance and Counselling (G&C) framework, following public discussion around content in some educational materials.

He said all educational materials used in the country must reflect this position clearly. “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 said.

The Minister explained that this position reflects Ghana’s cultural values and social norms.

“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 that “the morality of our society rests in the extent to which they uphold these values.”

Mr Iddrisu said the Ministry of Education has taken steps to correct any 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.”

He further directed that all future publications by the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service must comply with this 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 said.

However, the Minister said the focus should be on what benefits the country and its learners.

“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?” he asked.

Mr Iddrisu said he had directed the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NACCA) to take responsibility for the issue and act swiftly. “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 parts of the manual did not reflect Ghanaian values. “I’m told that NACCA has determined that the definition of gender identity contained in the manual is not reflective of Ghanaian values and culture and our norms,” he said.

He outlined the immediate steps taken to address the situation, including the recall of printed copies of the affected material.

“Directed that a recall of all the 736 physically printed copies of the year two physical education and health elective teacher manual for senior high schools,” he said, adding that a revised version has been released online.

He cautioned teachers not to rely on hard copies. “The online correction has been done appropriately, so nobody should be relying on their hard copies,” he stated.

Mr Iddrisu also reminded stakeholders that the national curriculum is regularly updated and advised teachers and the public to rely on the official online platform for up-to-date 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.”

The clarification from the Education Minister follows a nationwide controversy over a teacher support manual published by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA). The Year 2 Physical Education and Health (Elective) Teacher Manual included a definition of “gender identity” that critics said did not reflect Ghanaian cultural values and norms.

The manual was developed in 2024 to support teachers with the new Senior High School curriculum introduced last year, but drew intense public criticism after the definition circulated online.

Read also: NaCCA revises teacher manual, withdraws ‘gender definition’ content deemed contrary to Ghanaian values

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.