Resisting change: Explaining education policy reforms in Ghana

Abstract

This article examines the complexities surrounding the implementation of comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) within Ghana's basic education system, exploring the intersection of religious, cultural, and political factors. Introducing CSE has sparked significant public discourse and resistance in Ghana, where religious and cultural beliefs are deeply ingrained and often institutionalized in politics. The study utilizes punctuated equilibrium theory to understand the sustained opposition to CSE policy changes. It examines the historical progression of Ghana's educational reforms, highlighting the struggle to maintain cultural and religious values while promoting human rights and gender equality. The contribution of this study is its exploration of the political institutionalization of religion in Ghana, investigating the combined impact of religious bodies, political entities, and civil organizations in shaping public opinion on education policy reform. It further underscores the intricate task of navigating socio‐cultural beliefs and human rights in policy‐making processes.Related ArticlesBingham, Natasha. 2016. “Fighting for Our Cause: The Impact of Women's NGOs on Gender Policy Adoption in Four Former Soviet Republics.” Politics & Policy 44(2): 294–318. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12155.Holst, Cathrine, and Mari Teigen. 2024. “The ‘Boy Problem’ in Public Policy.” Politics & Policy 52(1): 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12570.Nchofoung, Tii, Simplice Asongu, Vanessa Tchamyou, and Ofeh Edoh. 2022. “Gender, Political Inclusion, and Democracy in Africa: Some Empirical Evidence.” Politics & Policy 51(1): 137–55. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12505.

Note from the Editor

“…欢迎阅读2024年4月出版的《政治与政策》(P&P)! 本月收录的文章涵盖了广泛的政策与政治科学研究,以及在美国、澳大利亚、非洲、 中东等地 的关键国际关系主题。其中一些文章对理论作出了重要贡献,包括:在政策叙事中引入次要情节 (Angervil, 2024)、 将美国国内侨民理解为一种外交政策资源 (Flores, 2024)、美国参议院议程设 置的有效性 (Lewallen, 2024)、 以及政治效能与美国社会日益加剧的城乡差距 (Rowland, Duff, & Lee, 2024)。Belligoni(2024)比较了波多黎各飓风"玛丽亚"和佛罗里达州飓风"迈克尔"的应急响 应,而Aboelwafa和Yaghi(2024)在探讨非西方情境下的立法监督时聚焦于阿拉伯联合酋长国的议 会问题。将焦点转向非洲,我们研究了加纳的教育政策改革 (Saaka, 2024)…”

“…Belligoni (2024) compara las respuestas de emergencia al huracán María en Puerto Rico y al huracán Michael en Florida, mientras que Aboelwafa y Yaghi (2024) se centran en cuestiones parlamentarias en los Emiratos Árabes Unidos en su discusión sobre la supervisión legislativa en un contexto no occidental. Pasando a África, examinamos la reforma de las políticas educativas (Saaka, 2024) y el vigilantismo político en Ghana (Antwi-Boateng & Braimah, 2024), además de las normas de derechos humanos en la administración pública africana (Onyango, 2024). Y, finalmente, Brenton y Stein (2024) consideran la legitimidad política en el gobierno local australiano.…”