Like many Ghanaians, I believe deeply in education. It has shaped who we are, lifted families out of poverty, and opened doors for generations.
So, when people say this debate is about “silencing knowledge,” I understand where that concern comes from. But I also believe that the current conversation around LGBTQ+ education in Ghana is being framed too narrowly.
This is not really about whether knowledge is good or bad. It is about what kind of knowledge we introduce to children, when we introduce it, and whether it fits the values of the society raising them.
For those of us who grew up in small towns and villages across Ghana, culture was not something written in books. It was lived.
It came from our parents, our elders, our churches and mosques, and the community itself. Education worked alongside these values, not against them.
There is an Akan saying many of us grew up hearing: the child does not raise the village; the village raises the child.
That is how Ghanaian society has always functioned. Schools were never meant to replace the family or the community. They were meant to support them.
That is why many people are uncomfortable when concepts that challenge long-held beliefs about family, identity, and morality appear in school materials without broad national agreement. This discomfort is not ignorance. It is concern.
Some argue that because children already see these issues on social media, schools must teach them. But exposure is not the same as guidance.
Our children also see violence, pornography, and harmful behavior online—yet no one suggests schools should normalize those simply because they exist on the internet.
Education has always been about timing and maturity. As the philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau once said, children should be allowed to be children before they are pushed into adult debates.
Many parents feel that discussions around gender identity belong later in life, not in basic or secondary education.
In Ghana, education has always had a moral backbone. Subjects like Religious and Moral Education, Social Studies, and Civic Education were not controversial because they reinforced shared values—respect, responsibility, and community.
They helped us understand who we were and where we belonged.
This debate is also not helped when people assume resistance is driven by fear.
Most parents are not afraid of knowledge; they are afraid of losing control over how their children are shaped. That is a very human concern.
Edmund Burke once warned that when societies abandon their traditions too quickly, they lose their sense of direction.
For many Ghanaians, especially in rural areas, LGBTQ+ issues are not just abstract ideas—they are seen as directly clashing with deeply held beliefs about family and social order.
Parliament’s involvement reflects this reality.
Whether one agrees or not, lawmakers are responding to the voices of ordinary people who feel their values are under threat. That is not oppression; it is democracy at work.
Universities, of course, are different.
Adults can debate ideas freely, and language changes there are not the same as introducing sensitive topics to minors. Mixing these two conversations only creates more confusion.
At the heart of this issue is a simple question: Does every form of knowledge belong in every classroom? Ghana has always answered that question with balance and caution.
Our country is facing serious challenges—jobs, healthcare, roads, rising costs of living. Many citizens worry that energy is being spent on cultural battles instead of fixing problems that affect daily survival.
As Africans, we have always believed that wisdom is not just knowing something but knowing when and how to apply it. Or as our elders would say, not every truth is spoken at every time.
Education must move Ghana forward, yes—but it must do so without breaking the moral foundation that holds our communities together.
Knowledge is powerful. But in Ghana, knowledge has always worked best when it walks hand in hand with culture, faith, and responsibility—not when it runs ahead of them.
ABOUT THE WRITER
The writer Kodwo Mensah Aboroampa is a Development Communication Advocates, Education Enthusiast and Human Rights Believer who shares opinionas the philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau once said, children should be allowed to be children before they are pushed into adult debates
