The Member of Parliament for Ketu North, Eric Edem Agbana, has announced plans to petition the Ghana Education Service over sections of a junior high school social studies textbook that he says contain misleading and dehumanising narratives about colonisation.
In a statement issued on Monday, February 17, the legislator expressed concern over images circulating from pages of the Aki-Ola Series Social Studies textbook, which reportedly suggest that Ghana benefited from colonial rule.
Mr Agbana described the material as troubling, arguing that it presents a distorted interpretation of history and fails to reflect the lived realities of Ghanaians during the colonial era. He criticised any attempt to frame colonisation as beneficial, insisting that such portrayals risk misinforming students and undermining historical truth.
According to the MP, colonisation should be understood as a period marked by violations of human rights, identity, and dignity, with long-lasting consequences that continue to shape African societies. He cautioned that narratives that normalise or justify colonialism could negatively influence how young learners perceive their heritage and national history.
He further stressed the need for educational content that upholds the dignity of students and reflects accurate historical perspectives, noting that Ghana’s education system has a responsibility to nurture informed and critically thinking citizens.
As part of his response, Mr Agbana said he intends to formally petition the Ghana Education Service to review the textbook and consider recalling copies if necessary. He called for revisions to ensure that any problematic content is removed from the curriculum.
The development is expected to spark wider discussions about how colonial history is taught in classrooms, with renewed attention on the tone, accuracy, and cultural sensitivity of learning materials used in basic schools across the country.
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Read the full statement below:
