Suspend decision to withdraw OWOP from curriculum – Publishers Association to NaCCA

The Ghana Publishers Association has appealed to the Minister of Education Dr Yaw Adutwum to save its members from incurring further debts in light of the current decision by the National Council for Curriculum Assessment (NaCCA) to withdraw a subject from the basic school curriculum.

The association is proposing that NaCCA engages its members to find an amicable solution to the situation in order to reduce the impact of the vacuum on publishers and students.

NaCCA has decided to withdraw the subject ‘Our World Our People (OWOP)’, from the Standards-based Curriculum.

This comes on the back of a review and comparison of the Religious and Moral Education (RME) and the OWOP subjects by the Council.

This withdrawal of the subject from the curriculum will take effect from the 2024/2025 academic year.

“Our review of both curricula indicates similar sub-strands and focus areas, including similarities.

“The situation amounts to a repetition of knowledge between both curricula,” NaCCA said in a letter addressed to the President of the Ghana Publishers Association.

Also beyond this, NaCCA revealed it had “received feedback from teachers expressing similar observations,” just like it had made.

However, the Publishers Association at a press conference held on Thursday, 14 December 2023, indicated it was not consulted prior to the announcement of the withdrawal of the books.

The association thus wants the Education Minister to intervene to salvage its members from incurring more losses.

President of the Association, Mr Asare Konadu Yamoah said: “We’re appealing to the Ministry to intervene in this matter because there are a lot of books that have been published printed.”

Describing the decision by the NaCCA as “unfortunate,” the President noted that local publishers went through a similar process in 2018 when the curriculum was withdrawn, which cost them a lot.

He further noted the same scenario is emerging hence government must intervene to appreciate their plight.

“That decision to withdraw the OWOP should be suspended and then we’re asking NaCCA and the Ministry to engage stakeholders, writers, publishers, booksellers, teachers to find an amicable resolution to this matter, where there should be a credible timetable for the withdrawal,” the publishers association president stated.

He continued: “Let Nacca engage us; let’s find a possible way of trying to see how we can reduce the impact on publishers.”

The association further expressed concern about the impact of the vacuum that would be created with the withdrawal of the subject on students.

The association indicated that if there would be any cost at all stemming from the withdrawal of the subject, the impact should be minimal.

The President added: “We think that it’s unfair and the government must find a way to meet us somehow to ensure that we don’t incur so much cost, the publishing industry has suffered since 2018.”