CSE necessary for Ghanaian children - Former GES Director

Mr Charles Aheto Tsegah, a former Director of the Ghana Education Service, (GES), believes that the much talked about Comprehensive Sexuality Education, (CSE), is very necessary for Ghanaian children in this modern age.

Mr Tsegah speaking on CNR weekly program “The Big Issue” waded into the CSE argument and dispelled claims that it would cause Ghanaian children to engage in sexual activities.

He said, rather, they would use the information to make the right decisions in their lives.

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“In the past, we have not been explicit in terms of content. Children need this information, they need the information to make the right decisions and that is where the confusion starts from because we say when we give them the information they become too open-minded and open-mindedness will lead to something else. Children will have to be open-minded enough under this current dispensation to be able to function in the new global environment and that is important for us today”.

He added that the CSE is not a departure from the country’s norms and culture.

“For me, all of this is about education, and we have been doing this since Kwame Nkrumah and in our syllabus, we have taught our children since age 4 about their body and so essentially there is no departure from what CSE stands for. And because this is a growing society it means we are still growing in our understanding of knowledge that must be known in the course of time. We are still stuck in our old mood where we believe the world is only what we know.”

In a global view, Aheto Tsegah explained that things have to be comprehensive else “we might end up stunting the way we want to teach our children.”

“I believe education is about information, knowledge and application of knowledge but the third level of the application of knowledge does not even happen in the school, it happens outside the school where you apply your experiences of your school into your life. Christians say for lack of knowledge my people perish and so are we willing to keep it from them until they grow and see that it is nice and then decide to do it?”

Ever since the CSE document surfaced, it has received fierce resistance from a large section of Ghanaians.

The Comprehensive Sexual Education programme is expected to equip pupils to know and experience their sexuality.

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If the CSE is implemented, at age six, Primary one pupils will be introduced to values and societal norms and how to interact with the different sexes and groups.