Inevitability of Politics in Ghana's Curriculum Development

Abstract

The influence of politics is enormous and seemingly inevitable. Arguably, in the sphere of education, its impact is both subtle and transparent. This is a positional paper that explores the ideologies of people in power behind curriculum development and innovation in Ghana. The paper describes societies’ and government’s position in the documentation of learning experiences for students in Ghanaian schools. The politicization of Ghana’s curriculum can be traced to the precolonial era, and this phenomenon has never ceased to suffice. Among the major tenets where politics seem evitable include the formation of educational reform committees, presentation of subject matter/content, change in the political system and external influences/global agenda. The paper concludes that politics and education, for that matter curriculum, are two inseparable entities in that the former influences the planning, design, development, implementation and evaluation of the latter. Therefore, curriculum experts in Ghana should bear in mind that politics can distort the natural order of curriculum development.