The public uproar about the bigotry comments made in history books by Badu Nkansah publication in line with the new curriculum that was implemented by the government in 2019, African education watch said they have done an investigation in some basic schools in the country and have realized that those textbooks were not approved by the National Council for Curriculum and assessment (NaCCA).
But the romantic style of the National Council for curriculum and assessment on those publishers has made the public feel that NaCCA was in bed with those publishers. They said their investigation has realized that when these publishers rash their books to some private schools some of the headmasters demanded NaCCA approval letter which they could not provide and they refused to purchase the books but others did.
They however proposed some recommendations for NaCCA and the general public which is outlined below.
Recommendation to NaCCA and the General Public :
NaCCA must develop a seal and ensure all approved textbooks bear the seal on cover pages. NaCCA must criminalize any unauthorized use of that seal. This is because, we saw other NaCCA approved textbooks from Oxford Publishers, etc., but without any seal or inscription suggesting they were NaCCA approved. Public Engagement on this is key, as NaCCA is currently working on textbooks for JHS.
In their letters of approval, NaCCA must indicate the specific books approved per publisher. A generic letter is not enough, as some Publishers may have approval for some but not all their textbooks.
The NaCCA romance with offending publishers must cease. Badu Nkansah, Golden Publishers, etc., must be punished beyond merely demanding an apology and withdrawal. Recognizing that Golden Publishers alone has over 20 unapproved books in the system, issuing such romantic reprimands only fuel public suspicion that NaCCA is in bed with these publishers. At least, they should not be allowed to participate in the on-going development of JHS Textbooks.
NaCCA should ensure the current JHS textbook development process is an improvement on the previous, based on lessons learned and matters emerging.
NaCCA must step up its Public Engagement on the matter. Issuing Statements is not enough.
The General Public must check the difference in the ‘stamps’, i.e. Approved Vs Based on NaCCA Syllabus before buying.
