The Member of Parliament for Ketu North, Eric Edem Agbana, has announced plans to formally petition the Ghana Education Service over what he describes as “dehumanising” and false content in a Social Studies textbook currently used in junior high schools.

In a statement released on Monday, February 17, Mr Agbana raised concerns about images circulating from pages of the Aki-Ola Series Social Studies textbook, which, according to him, outline the “Benefits Ghana has derived from colonisation”.

“I have noted images from pages of the Aki-Ola Series Social Studies Textbook for Junior High School Students that contain disturbing content that is not only false but also dehumanising,” he said.

The MP condemned what he described as an attempt to portray colonisation as beneficial to Ghanaians and Ghanaian society.

“I unequivocally condemn the said content, being its attempt to portray colonisation as of any benefit to Ghanaians and the Ghanaian society at large,” he stated.

Mr Agbana argued that presenting colonisation in such a light undermines historical truth and risks distorting the understanding of young learners. He stressed that colonisation was “inhuman” and described it as “a systematic violation of human rights, dignity, and identity,” adding that its effects “have left troubling scars on the identities of Africans and Ghanaians.”

He further warned against allowing “distorted narratives to shape our children’s minds,” insisting that the country owes its young people “an uncompromisable duty to ensure they are educated in a way that advances not only the progress of their society but also their own worth and dignity.”

Announcing his next step, the legislator said: “I will formally petition the Ghana Education Service to immediately review and recall these books and ensure that such harmful perspectives are removed from our curriculum.”

According to him, Ghana’s education system must be anchored in “truth, justice, and historical integrity,” and must sustain “a perspective of history that does not deny the past of the Ghanaian, misstate the present, and undermine the hopeful future of the Ghanaian child.”

The planned petition to the Ghana Education Service is expected to trigger a broader review of how colonial history is presented in classrooms, as debate intensifies over the accuracy and tone of educational materials used in the country’s basic schools.