Education Minister acknowledges gap in curriculum on transatlantic slave trade

Ghanaian

Education Minister, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, has publicly acknowledged a significant gap in Ghana's educational curriculum, revealing that the history of the country's involvement in the transatlantic slave trade is not adequately taught to students.

During an interview on Peace FM’s Kokrokoo show, Dr. Adutwum recounted a conversation with a university graduate who raised questions about Ghana’s Year

Read full articleof Return initiative, which commemorated the 400th anniversary of the arrival of enslaved Africans in Virginia, United States. The graduate expressed surprise at the lack of information about the transatlantic slave trade in Ghana's curriculum.

Dr. Adutwum admitted, "During the Year of Return when tourists arrived here, someone asked me, uncle, why are the whites and diasporans coming to Ghana? Someone who has visited university asked me how they got to America. Then I asked him about the transatlantic slave trade. He said it is not in the curriculum. So, I went and truthfully, it is not in. No, I tell you. That is the big question.”

The revelation underscores a critical oversight in Ghana's educational system, where students are not adequately informed about one of the darkest chapters in the country's history.

According to Dr. Adutwum, this omission occurred after a former Education Minister approved a curriculum structured by the Social Studies Association of America, which did not include comprehensive teaching on the transatlantic slave trade.

Recognizing the urgency of addressing this issue, Dr. Adutwum emphasized that the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA) is working on a new curriculum that will incorporate the history of the transatlantic slave trade, ensuring that Ghanaian children receive a comprehensive education on the subject.