EducationFact CheckFeatured

UPDATED: False: NaCCA has not approved Golden Publication’s English for Basic 4, and other controversial textbooks for distribution or use

NaCCA has approved textbooks fostering association of Ewes with the use of juju and denigrating some tribes in Ghana

False. NaCCA has not approved the Golden English or Basic 4 textbook and some other Golden Publication books.

Full Text

Some Twitter users have been discussing an alleged text book that is said to have been approved by Ghana Education Service (GES) and National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA) for teaching Basic school pupils.  

A portion of the book, as shown below, is said to be promoting the association and stereotype of Ewes to the use of juju.

Image source: Twitter

The book, published by Golden Publications for Basic 4 English, is written by Alexander Baafi Okyere and has a stamp claiming approval from the NaCCA for use for the new syllabus.

Image source: Twitter

The post has drawn the attention of many people who have called for the removal of the book from the syllabus .

Image source: Twitter

The news, containing the image has been recirculated and published on some online platforms

Ghanaian celebrity Ayigbe Edem has called-out the book’s author, asking for the book to be revised.

“Okyere Baafi….It would be good to put respect on my people and revise your book….All narratives like this, make us deepen the crack on issues surrounding us….#Gbevunation #Gogetem.”

Some other textbooks, History of Ghana textbook 3 by Badu Nkansah Publication and History for Basic 6 by Golden publications, have also come into the limelight with many people including Abla Dzifa Gomashie, Member of Parliament for Ketu South, calling out the Ministry of Education, Ghana Education Service and the NaCCA.

“…As a proud Ewe, I would never see myself in the light you seek to portray me in with these warped and extremely insensitive descriptions. This is the height of “racist” comments meant to look down and denigrate a hardworking, friendly and affable group of people. Perhaps you have gone this far because we have tolerated this absolutely foolish condescending and totally unacceptable behaviour from some Ghanaians and now you have the effrontery and audacity to publish it. It is no more funny…”

Image source: Facebook

Dubawa set out to find out if this book is a part of the approved books for the new syllabus.

Verification

According to officials at the Basic Unit of the Ghana Education Service, the textbook in question is not part of the list of recommended textbooks released by the Service.

The NaCCA on 14 May, 2020 released the first batch of recommended textbooks for Kindergarten to Basic 6. This batch listed 187 textbooks that passed assessment for use for Kindergarten to Basic 6 pupils.

A few days later, on 18 May 2020, a second batch, comprising 96 recommended textbooks were also released.

The third batch, released June 11th, 2020 also contains 202 recommended textbooks.

Dubawa assessed all three released lists and found that the book in question, Golden English for Basic 4, was not listed among the recommended books.

Mr. John Anang, Acting Director General, NaCCA, disclosed that the book in question, Golden English for Basic 4 and some others have not been approved by NaCCA. 

He went on to clarify that the textbooks that have been published are not recommended, as stated in the official letters attached to the list of textbooks, but rather, approved by NaCCA.

“Our mandate is not to recommend but to assess and approve books based on the intended curriculum to see whether it is in sync with the letter and spirit of what the curriculum intends to achieve.”

He added that once the book is not in the three batches of textbooks approved and published by NaCCA, it has not been submitted to the institution for approval.

“By our provisions and guidelines, nobody is supposed to put on their textbook or whatever that it has been approved by NaCCa. Nobody is supposed to do that. We have not even seen it. There is a similar issue with another History book which with the help of Facebook, we were able to identify them and invite them for a meeting and they came… What happened is that these people, once the new syllabus was released, commissioned writers, when they got the books, they started catching up with the September market,  forgetting that they must go through NaCCA before hitting the market.”

A press release was issued on March 6th, 2021 on the NaCCA Facebook page cautioning parents against the purchase and use of unapproved textbooks. The press release mentioned History textbook for Basic 6 pupils from the same publishers, Golden publications, being unapproved for use or distribution.

Image source: NaCCA Facebook page

Today, March 15th, 2021, the NaCCA has published a sequel to their March 6th press release stating that the three textbooks making rounds on social media have not been approved by the institution:

  • History of Ghana for Basic 6 (Golden Publications)
  • History of Ghana Textbook 3 (Badu Nkansah Publications)
  • Golden English Basic 4 (Golden Publications)
Image source: NaCCA Facebook Page

As NaCCA is not mandated to arrest publishers of these books which have infiltrated the market, it has cautioned them through the use of dialogue that all their materials should be brought to the institution for assessment and possible approval. 

Mr. Anang added that they have advised the publishers of the controversial textbook to apologize to Ghanaians on radio and newspapers.

Meanwhile Badu Nkansah Publication has issued an apology to the public for the ‘offensive publication’.

Show More

Related Articles

14 Comments

  1. The issues being raised has nothing to do with the approval of the book by NaCCA. The concerns are about how those derogatory contents got into the said books.

    1. It is rather unfortunate you think so and we are uncertain how you came to that conclusion when the fact-check report only sought to answer a simple question: “Has NaCCA approved the textbooks under contention?” and that is just what it did.
      We are open to correct and review the report if you have contrary and superior evidence to adduce.

  2. I vehemently protest against your tags on the materials. You are abusing the tool at your disposal without restraint. It serves no good cause to use your access to fact-check tools to take sides in a matter that is as factual as to attract top journalists like Emefa Apau, top Musicians like Edem and Members of Parliament. You ought to stop this abuse of this tool. NaCCA does not embody the whole truth. The material are in circulation. The damage is being caused by them. The public is outraged. Have you realised that?

    1. Dear Kofi Adoli,
      We at Dubawa are part of Facebook’s third-party fact-checking program. Facebook works with independent fact-checking organizations around the world that are certified by the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN). We review and rate the veracity of articles, images, videos and text posts, focused on claims that are spreading virally. You can read more about our methodology, and most importantly, our correction policy on our website.

  3. This fact check has ignored the fact that the materials in question are in circulation and are being used in schools as we speak. The apology issued by Badu Nkansah Publishers confirms this fact of theirs being in circulation and in schools. Teachers on my Facebook wall have confirmed it. You cannot limit your enquiry to NaCCA’s official response and be satisfied that you have completed a fact-check. This fact-check has turned out to be an attempt to prevent the truth of tribal bigotry from coming out into the open so as to stop it. I do not think Facebook is prepared for another public enquiry for stifling transparency. Myanmar is in flames with Facebook at the centre of media reports. Lives are lost daily although the circumstances are different. That is enough? No? This Ghanaian one offers an opportunity to exact good than let the bigotry fester. No?

    1. Dear Kofi Adoli,
      Thank you for your comment and interest in Dubawa.
      As you will observe in the fact-check report, we are not in denial that the textbooks are on the market and in circulation. At no point in our fact-check did we dispute that.
      Again, you will notice, if you read the report, that we went beyond NaCCA in verifying the claim.
      It is unfortunate you think this “fact-check has turned out to be an attempt to prevent the truth of tribal bigotry from coming out into the open so as to stop it.” We are uncertain how you came to that conclusion when the fact-check report only sought to answer a simple question: “Has NaCCA approved the textbooks under contention?” and that is just what it did.
      We are open to correct and review the report if you have contrary evidence to adduce.
      In the meantime, we will appreciate it if you will desist from inciting the public against our researcher considering the current climate where journalists and media workers have reported threats on their lives for doing their work.

  4. Ahiable since you are one of us let them help burn those books. You know what books can do, is a serious psychological tool. Should a child chance upon such books even though not approved by NaCCa can still do what it intends to do. Let’s destroy those books

    1. We agree with you that books are ‘serious psychological tools’. We hope NaCCA and appropriate agencies will quickly do something about the situation.

    1. At Dubawa, we do not take sides and we do not defend anyone: we lay down the bare facts and amplify truth.

    1. We at Dubawa are not ‘a mess cleaning’ platform. We do not take sides neither are we defenders of anyone or agency. We only amplify the truth and that is what we did with this particular fact-check.

Make a comment

Back to top button