Edem Agbana to Petition GES Over ‘Colonisation Benefits’ Content in Aki-Ola Textbook

The Member of Parliament for Keta North, Eric Edem Agbana, has announced plans to formally petition the Ghana Education Service (GES) to review and recall copies of the Aki-Ola Junior High School Social Studies textbook over what he describes as “false and dehumanising content.”

In a statement dated February 17, 2026, the MP who also serves on Parliament’s Select Committee on Education said he had examined pages of the Aki-Ola Series Social Studies textbook containing sections outlining alleged “benefits Ghana has derived from colonisation.”

He condemned the content, arguing that it sanitises and glorifies colonisation despite its devastating consequences for Africans and Ghanaians.

“At a time when President John Dramani Mahama is championing continental efforts toward reparations, it is deeply irresponsible to sanitise or glorify a painful chapter of our history,” he stated.

Agbana described colonisation as inhuman and a systematic violation of human rights, dignity, and identity, warning that distorted historical narratives must not shape the thinking of Ghanaian children.

He said his petition will call for:

• Immediate review and recall of the textbook
• Removal of harmful historical perspectives
• Alignment of curriculum content with historical truth and integrity

“Our education system must reflect truth, justice, and historical integrity,” he added, stressing that teaching history must not deny the past, misstate the present, or undermine the future of Ghanaian children.

The petition is expected to intensify national debate on curriculum content, historical interpretation, and the role of education in shaping identity and civic consciousness.