A Professor of Educational Leadership at the University of Cape Coast, Prof. George K.T. Oduro has called for the adjustment and realigning the calendar of the trimester system to address the challenge of teachers pursuing sandwich programmes at the Universities as against adopting a semester system at the basic school level to address the challenge.
He noted that an engagement between the Ministry of Education, the Ghana Education Service, relevant teacher unions and the Universities could realign the calendar within the context of the existing trimester system.
Prof Oduro made the comment at the back of the introduction of a semester-based academic calendar for public Kindergarten, Primary, and Junior High Schools announced by the GES last week. Among other things, GES said, the new system will ease pressure on teachers, decongest the various schools, and help align academic calendars.
However, Prof Oduro called for planning and engaging describing the policy as rushed arguing that there is a lack of support system and will result in learning fatigue. He spoke to Correspondent Prosper Adankai in Bolgatanga, Upper East Regional Capital.
A summary of the forthcoming Ghana educational reforms, as outlined by the Ministry of Education, the Ghana Education Service and the National Council for Curriculum Assessment, has revealed that the West African Senior School Certificate Exams (WASSCE), will be replaced with a university entrance exam – with SHS3 final-year students graduating with a diploma credential instead of WASSCE certificate.
A sneak-peek at the reform document available to the B&FT showed it proposes that students in SHS 1 will continue to run a common core programme for one year without elective subjects, such as Science, Business, or any Arts programme, until they are in SHS 2.
“Graduating to SHS 2 from SHS 1 will however be done through another Common Core Entrance Exam,” the document anticipated.
At SHS2, students will have to select either a career-related programme that includes vocational and technical programmes, or high school diploma elective programmes such as science, business and the arts.
The document equally said kindergarten, primary, Junior High School and Senior High Schools will all be described as basic schools, with JHS 1,2,3 and SHS1 being referred to as BS 7, 8, 9 and 10 respectively – meaning SHS1 will now be called BS10.
Assessment-wise, the document is proposing that all students in JHS1-SHS1 should run a Common Core Programme called CCP which comprises nine subjects: namely Math, Languages, Science, RME, Physical and Health (not examinable) Career Technology, Social Studies, Computing and Creative Art/Design.
A new examination called the National Standard Assessment Test (NSAT) will be conducted at Primary 2, 4, 6, and JHS 2, with the Basic Education Certificate Exams (BECE) being replaced by placement exams at JHS3 to enroll pupils into SHS1.
Apexnewsgh.com/Ghana/Prosper Adankai/Contributor
