The Ministry of Education says the Natural Science textbook which depicted the head as a part of the human body used for carrying load, is not an approved book for primary schools in the country.
The Ministry, which has been quiet since the brouhaha over the matter, appears to be responding after a policy and research Think Tank, VIAM Africa Centre for Education and Social Policy, blamed textbook errors on the Ghana Education Service (GES) and the Ministry’s weak systems for the validation of textbook content.
The Ministry in a statement said, “it must be noted that the book in question is not the approved textbook for schools under the Ghana Education Service.”
[contextly_sidebar id=”gskDVDsj3bfwExXlxS3i5beYbyxPI9fr”]In his ‘Natural Science for Primary Schools – Pupil’s Book 1,’ the author Albert Joseph Quarm stated that the human head is used for carrying loads.
This classification has however been heavily criticized with many including the Vice President of IMANI Ghana, Kofi Bentil, calling for an immediate withdrawal of the books from schools.
The Education Ministry’s statement cautioned schools to desist from patronizing “unapproved materials” in their schools.
“We can however, confirm that there is only one approved primary 1 textbook titled ‘Natural Science for Primary Schools: Activity-Based Pupils’ Book 1’ jointly authored by Peter Asiedu, Henric Atta Baa-Yeboah and Ebenezer Agyiri Domptey. On page 62 of this particular book, it is indicated that “our head contains the brain which helps us to think.
“The Ministry wishes to advise against associating the Ministry or the Ghana Education Service with this publication. We also caution heads of schools and parents on the purchase and use of such books on the open market. In case any parent wants to buy a book for his or her children, they should contact the Curriculum Research and Development Division of the Ghana Education Service,” the statement added.
The Ministry’s statement however failed to order the withdrawal of the books.
Blame poor content validation for textbook errors
A policy and research Think Tank, VIAM Africa Centre for Education and Social Policy, had earlier blamed the Ministry of Education and GES for the errors in textbooks.
“VIAM Africa (Ghana) holds the view that the blame for all these problems in the textbooks should be laid squarely at the door step of the Ministry of Education and GES. A textbook is generally conceptualised as a standard work on a particular subject designed for classroom use with appropriate vocabulary, illustrations and student exercises,” a statement siged Executive Director for VIAM Africa, Dr. Prince Armah added.
Find below the full statement from the Education Ministry:
PROF. QUARM’S NATURAL SCIENCE TEXTBOOK NOT THE APPROVED TEXTBOOK FOR SCHOOLS
The attention of the Ministry of Education has been drawn to public discourse in sections of the media as regards a supposed Primary 1 textbook titled “Natural Science for Primary Schools” written and published by one Prof. Albert Joseph Quarm which claims in an illustration that the head is used for carrying objects.
It must be noted that the book in question is not the approved textbook for schools under the Ghana Education Service.
It is to be noted that it is for unfortunate possibilities such as this that the Ministry of Education vets and authorises books intended for use in our schools and the reason we have requested our heads of schools to keep their schools away from unapproved materials.
We can however, confirm that there is only one approved primary 1 textbook titled “Natural Science for Primary Schools: Activity-Based Pupils’ Book 1” jointly authored by Peter Asiedu, Henric Atta Baa-Yeboah and Ebenezer Agyiri Domptey. On page 62 of this particular book, it is indicated that “our head contains the brain which helps us to think”.
The Ministry wishes to advise against associating the Ministry or the Ghana Education Service with this publication. We also caution heads of schools and parents on the purchase and use of such books on the open market. In case any parent wants to buy a book for his or her children, they should contact the Curriculum Research and Development Division of the Ghana Education Service.
Issued by the Public Relations Unit of the Ministry of Education.
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By: Godwin A. Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana