Anger over B4 history book in Ghana: Debatable 6 negative effects of religion

Anger over B4 history book in Ghana: 6 Debatable negative effects of religion

There is anger over B4 history book in the country over their content. The textbook for basic four (B4) learners has generated a lot of concerns among parents and some teachers. The concerned stakeholders have pushed the book into the media to get the attention it deserves.

Approved, not approved

Relevant authorities must approve textbooks before they can be used in schools in Ghana. The primary authority that approves textbooks is the National Council for Curriculum Assessment (NaCCA). Though some unapproved textbooks also find their way into the school system. According to the authors of the textbook under discussion is an approved one. This claim is stated clearly on the cover of the book.

However, the deputy PRO of the Ghana Education Service (GES) who discussed the issue mentioned the book was not the approved version of the book. According to him, the initial version of the book was assessed by NaCCA. The authors of the book, Francis Benjamin Appiah and his partner, review the book to standard including the portion under discussion.

Interestingly, a panelist on the same program, Dr. Peter Kwatey, disagrees with the position taken by the Ghana Education Service. He indicated there is a published document by the National Council for Curriculum Assessment that contravened the position taken by GES. The NaCCA document mentioned the book in question, History of Ghana for Basic Schools, as one of the approved books by NaCCA. He proved the book was listed on page 56 of the NaCCA document.

Finally, both the PRO of GES and the panelist agree some publishers sometimes go-ahead to market their books without making the necessary reviews as requested by NaCCA. The panelist agrees NaCCA must be ready to punish those publishers that flout their directives. The panelist on the show encourage NaCCA to withdraw the books from the market as soon as possible.

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The Cause of anger over B4 history book | 6 negative effects of Religion in Ghana

The root cause of the anger over b4 history book in Ghana is the stated negative effects of religion in Ghana. Six (6) debatable negatives of religion were listed.

The panelist did not condemn outright the negative effects listed. However, the primary concern is the age of the learners who were being introduced to the debate. Basic four (B4) learners in Ghana are normally between the ages of eight (8) and ten (10) years old. It is argued that the learners in basic four (B4) will rather accept the points listed instead of debating them with an open mind. Below are the six (6) negative effects of religion under discussion

Negative effects of Christian missionary activities

1. Religion is a major cause of physical conflicts and doctrinal disputes in Ghana and the world as a whole
2. Christianity has led to increased poverty; there is a direct link between religion and laziness which contributes to poverty in Ghana and Africa as a whole. Religion makes people lackadaisical in their attitude toward finding practical ways to improve their undesirable living conditions
3. Some religious doctrines brought by missionaries create a sense of fear or timidity in their adherents
4. Religion creates an avenue for many tricksters, or charlatans to parade as men of God to fleece the poor of their meager resources
5. Most religious groups discriminate against women in so many ways
6. Many politicians in Ghana use religion as a vehicle to cause disaffection among people in a bid to advance their political interests.

Concerns of stakeholders

The concerns of parents and other stakeholders who complain are purely to avoid indoctrination of the learners. The indoctrination could lead to their wards becoming religiously averse. Most importantly, most households make their decision with religious backing and reasons.
Especially when the children in basic four (4) in Ghana may not have an open mind. This is because most of the academic work in the country is through rote methods.

However, the deputy PRO of the Ghana Education Service (GES) indicated learners must begin to be engaged in other ways of teaching and learning. This he said is the sure way of helping the learners to be creative

Parents and other stakeholders are encouraged to report any concerns they may have about any teaching and learning material including textbooks. Mr. Yaw Opoku Mensah, deputy PRO of the Ministry of Education made the call to the public to help sanitize unapproved learning materials. The anger over b4 history book in the country was highlighted during the phone in segment.