Education Ministry says ‘head for carrying load’ book not approved textbook

• Posted on April 5, 2016
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

The Ministry of Education says a textbook depicting the head as a part of the human body used for carrying load has not been approved for primary schools in the country by the Ghana Education Service (GES).

The “Natural Science for Primary Schools – Pupil’s Book 1,” authored by Albert Joseph Quarm stated that the human head is used for carrying loads, an illustration that has been heavily criticized by many.

Vice President of IMANI Ghana, Kofi Bentil, has called for an immediate withdrawal of the books from schools.

VIAM Africa Centre for Education also condemned the book it says is riddled with factual inaccuracies, inappropriate illustrations and poor proofreading.

VIAM Africa further blamed the errors in the textbook on Ghana Education Service (GES) and the Education Ministry’s weak content validation systems for textbooks in Ghana’s schools.

In what appears to be a swift response to the VIAM Africa criticism, the Education Ministry said the book is not an approved textbook for use in schools across the country.

“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,” said the statement.

The Ministry adds that the only textbook approved for primary 1 pupils is titled ‘Natural Science for Primary Schools: Activity-Based Pupils’ Book 1” jointly authored by Peter Asiedu, Henric Atta Baa-Yeboah and Ebenezer Agyiri Domptey.

It said in the approved book the authors state that “our head contains the brain which helps us to think.”

This position by the Education Ministry is in sharp contrast to an earlier stance by the GES who had said there was nothing wrong with Mr. Quarm’s book. GES Public Relations Officer, Jonathan Bettey, had argued in the heat of the criticism that there was nothing wrong with the book.

Read the full Ministry of Education statement below:

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-Yeboahand Ebenezer AgyiriDomptey. 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.

-myjoyonline