It is important Ghana’s ministry of education learns that, it is not possible to educate a person by miseducating them.

I wondered what it meant when I read, “Education Ministry to check homosexuality in schools”, how would the education ministry ‘check’ heterosexuality for instance? -- if it doesn't make sense to ‘check’ heterosexuality, why does the ministry think it makes sense to ‘check’ homosexuality.

What does ‘check’ mean?

According to a news item, the Ministry of Education is optimistic homosexuality in the country’s Junior High and Senior High Schools will soon be a thing of the past.

Paul Krampah, the Ministry's Public Relations Officer, in an interview with XFM stated that the Ministry's HIV/AIDS Secretariat has trained teachers who in turn act as facilitators to educate students on the menace of homosexuality and its adverse consequences including HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.

“the menace of homosexuality?” how is homosexuality a menace? And why are we centering HIV/AIDS education on homosexuality?

The Ministry of Education says according to the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVSSU) of the Ghana Police Service more teenage boys in the country's Junior High Schools are becoming victims of sexual abuse.

I have said this so many times that I am getting tired of saying it-- when a boy is abused by an older man, the man is a pedophile not a homosexual, he could be a pedophile who is homosexual but would it be sane to call a rapist heterosexual for abusing a little girl?

DOVSSU says many of these young boys abused in schools and their families are reluctant to report such cases to the police. The unit is thus concerned about health implication this may have on the boys.

If the unit is really concerned about ‘the health of the boys’ action should therefore focused on that. Thinking homosexuality equals abuse and therefore, a ‘menace’ that ought to be ‘checked’ is the wrong way of going about seeing to the health needs of students.

As a means to check the spread of HIV/AIDS in children, there have been calls on governments to make Sex and Relationships Education (SRE) compulsory within the national curriculum.

This is an important call, which the government should act upon quickly. My only fear is the kind of wrong information students may be bombarded with by untrained and bigoted teachers.

According to campaigners, putting SRE at the heart of the curriculum, rather than as just an optional add-on, would help ensure young people are equipped with the knowledge and confidence to protect themselves (and others) from HIV, while making them aware of the realities of living with HIV today.

Paul Krampah said it was in this regard the HIV/AIDS secretariat was established, saying, "if you want somebody to be well vested in an issue, there is the need to train facilitators; the teachers have been trained and they are facilitating the training of students". -- my question is, what exactly are they telling the students?

"The schools on regular basis educate the students on the menace of homosexuality. The schools have intensified their training programs. We are very optimistic that in time things will change and the incidence of homosexuality in the country will be a thing of the past”. The minister said. --This clearly is miseducation.

He added that statistics show that HIV and AIDS have affected young gay men more than any other group of people. -- It is true that men who have sex with men are amongst the groups that HIV and AIDS is prevalent, so teach boys how to practice safer sex.

Half baked, ill-prepared HIV/AIDS awareness creation messages and campaigns are only going to get us in deep waters. Why is the focus on homosexuality and boys only? Why are we looking to punish homosexuals instead of listening to the sexual needs of young boys and girls in our schools and try to give them access to information and facilities that will aid them in making the right choices?

Safe sex, safer sex or abstinence, why can’t we trust that young people can make the choice for themselves if we put the options before them?