General News of Wednesday, 2 October 2019

Source: starrfm.com.gh

Government has received money from Sweden over CSE – Okudzeto Ablakwa

MP for North Tongu constituency, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa MP for North Tongu constituency, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa

The Government of Ghana has already received money from the Swedish government for the introduction of the controversial Comprehensive Sexuality Education programme in Ghanaian schools, North Tongu MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has claimed.

According to him, the Swedish government doled out $22 million to Ghana and other African countries to help them curb social opposition that may arise as result of the introduction of the programme.

“This is going to be a tough manoeuvre for the Education Minister, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh and more generally the Akufo-Addo government as long as they refuse to be candid and transparent over the CSE saga.

“On one hand they need to calm down outraged Ghanaians who are running out of patience with the many official contradictions and untruths; on the other hand they need to convince the Swedish Government which has already committed $22million to Ghana and the other 5 CSE Program Acceleration Countries that Ghana will justify the use of their taxpayer dollars especially when one of the key deliverables upon which our Government received the first tranche of money is a promise to “overcome social resistance and operational constraints.”

Also, what will our Government be telling UNFPA in the face of current denials after agreeing with them to provide CSE technical support to the GES? Then, what happens to the contract signed with the special CSE Project Implementation Officer operating from the UNESCO Ghana office?, ” Ablakwa wrote on Facebook.

It comes after former President John Mahama and many religious leaders in the country condemn the programme and called for it to be withdrawn.

“As noted by the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Most Rev. Philip Naameh of the Catholic Bishops Conference, Rev. Dr. Paul Frimpong-Manso and National Chief Imam Sheikh Nuhu Sharubutu, this addition to the national curriculum cannot be acceptable in any form. Government must immediately withdraw its policy to promote sexuality, sexuality types and practice among young children as the CSE Guidelines implicitly advocates,” Mahama wrote on Facebook.



Read his full post below

This is going to be a tough manoeuvre for the Education Minister, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh and more generally the Akufo-Addo government as long as they refuse to be candid and transparent over the CSE saga.

On one hand they need to calm down outraged Ghanaians who are running out of patience with the many official contradictions and untruths; on the other hand they need to convince the Swedish Government which has already committed $22million to Ghana and the other 5 CSE Program Acceleration Countries that Ghana will justify the use of their taxpayer dollars especially when one of the key deliverables upon which our Government received the first tranche of money is a promise to “overcome social resistance and operational constraints.”

Also, what will our Government be telling UNFPA in the face of current denials after agreeing with them to provide CSE technical support to the GES?

Then, what happens to the contract signed with the special CSE Project Implementation Officer operating from the UNESCO Ghana office?

Already, Ghanaian teachers have exposed the Minister of Education with page 11 of the Teacher Resource Pack for Primary 1 – 6 which shamefully contradicts the Minister’s assertions in his signed statement that there is no inclusion of CSE.

The Ghanaian people are certainly more informed about this issue than Government assumes. Only sincere backtracking and a total full disclosure shall set Government free.