A day’s stakeholders forum on Reproductive Health Education (RHE) in first and second cycle schools was held in Accra yesterday.
It also aimed at seeking contributions and suggestions on the draft policy of Reproductive Health Education for children aged between four and 24 years.
The event was jointly organised by the Ghana Educational Service (GES) and the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA) in collaboration with the Ministry of Education (MoE).
It was attended by faith based and civil society organisations (CSOs), parents, students from some tertiary institutions and traditional leaders.
In an interaction with journalists after the meeting, the Director General(DG) of Ghana Education Service(GES), Professor Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa said in September last year, there was a general public discussion on issues relating to reproductive health and comprehensive sexuality education hence the day’s event.
He said the engagement was to allow stakeholders make an input into the draft policy, taking into consideration the needs and culture of the society.
The DG of the GES said the various organisations had been given a month to make their input and submit their proposals into the draft policy after which the service and NaCCA would meet the stakeholders again.
In his opinion, most people and organisations made contributions which seemed to be conclusions instead of tackling the contents and what they think should be introduced into the curriculum that would be accepted by all stakeholders.
“What we have is not a curriculum, they are guidelines, it is when the guidelines are developed, that it becomes a curriculum,” he added.
Others also suggested that the views of parents and children should be sought before the subject is introduced, while some also called for the strengthening of the family system which was the basic unit of the society.
The GES’ DG further explained that the curriculum would later be developed into teaching and learning materials to be accessed by NaCCA and recommendations made to the GES.
He said the GES would later recommend to the government for it to be purchased for the school and students in general.
BY JEMIMA ESINAM KUATSINU
