Jacob Anaba, President of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), says a “group of people” is deliberately trying to confuse Ghanaians about gender by introducing inappropriate content into school materials.

His comments follow public backlash over content found in the Year Two Physical Education and Health (Elective) Teacher Manual. The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA) later withdrew the printed books after admitting that sections on “gender identity” did not reflect Ghana’s culture, values, and norms.

Mr Anaba said the inclusion of the material could not have been a mistake and suggested it was done on purpose.

“Those who put it in the manual must be a group of people who do not want the Ghana we have,” he told Joy News on Wednesday, January 13, 2026.

“Or they are bent on destroying the cultural identity of this country.”

He explained that teachers were the first to notice the controversial content and promptly raised concerns with NaCCA.

“This was discovered this year, and teachers raised issues about it,” he said. “It came to our attention, and we wrote to NaCCA indicating our displeasure about what we have found in the manual.”

Mr Anaba said the issue went unnoticed for some time because Physical Education is not widely taught.

“You see, PE is a subject that is not broadly taught,” he said. “The number of teachers in the school is one or two, so it becomes difficult for us to easily discover it.”

According to him, once NaCCA was informed, NAGRAT expected quick action to correct the situation.

“But when it was discovered, we were informed, and we indicated that to NaCCA,” he said. “As we speak, they have asked that the books should be withdrawn from the schools.”

He said the return of the issue was worrying and raised serious questions.

“So one will be very surprised that if you lived in Ghana at that time, you would even contemplate putting it in any document,” he said.

“So we are even surprised to hear that it is in the manual and not in the curriculum.”

The disputed section of the manual described gender as an expression rather than a biological reality linked to a person’s sex.

The disputed section of the manual described gender as a form of expression rather than a biological reality linked to a person’s sex.