The Ghana Education Service (GES) is set to deploy guidance and counselling personnel to Junior High and Senior High Schools in preparation for the full rollout of the new curriculum for secondary education in the country.
This initiative aims to educate and prepare students ahead of the next academic year’s implementation of the new standard-based curriculum, which promises a more flexible and personalized learning experience for Senior High School (SHS) students.
Speaking to JoyNews’ Emefa Apawu on The Probe, Professor Edward Appiah, the Director General of the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA), highlighted the advanced stage of plans for this rollout.
“GES is moving all their guidance and counselling staff who are in the classroom. Now they will be focusing on these activities and they will be having their offices in the schools to guide the children. Of course, the teachers will also help with that,” he said.
He further explained that the initiative aims to start from Junior High School 3 (JHS 3) to ensure students transitioning to SHS 1 have an understanding of the new curriculum.
Regarding the availability of teaching and learning materials for the curriculum, Prof. Appiah assured that materials would be made available before the full implementation.
“NaCCA, our mandate is to assess and approve textbooks, we don’t develop textbooks. However, knowing that this is a new curriculum, we had to develop resource materials for the schools and the learners. For the teachers, we are done. I have told you about the teacher manual. So each manual for each subject,” he explained.
Background
The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA) recently launched a manual for teachers in Ghana in preparation for the rollout of the new standard-based curriculum for Senior High Schools. The manual was unveiled by Prof. Edward Appiah at the Yaa Asantewaa Girls Senior High School in the Kwadaso Municipality of the Ashanti Region on Tuesday, May 21, 2024.
Before the manual’s launch, NaCCA revealed that the new curriculum for SHS students would allow learners to study both science and arts-related courses simultaneously. This development is intended to enable students to pursue any course of their choice at the tertiary level without limitations. Unlike the old curriculum, where arts students were not permitted to learn major aspects of science, the new curriculum removes such barriers, providing SHS students with more comprehensive educational opportunities.
The Acting Director in Charge of Curriculum at NaCCA, Mr. Reginald Quartey, discussed this during an engagement session with journalists from across the country. The event, held from Tuesday, May 14 to Wednesday, May 15, 2024, at the Volta Serene Hotel in Ho, Volta Region, brought together numerous top journalists from all regions. During the engagement, resource persons from NaCCA guided the media through all aspects of the new curriculum for SHS students.
Mr. Quartey emphasized that the new Senior High School Curriculum would focus on social, emotional, and behavioral issues as well as values. He stated that education should empower individuals to positively contribute to society.
Subject Combination
NaCCA also disclosed that the new curriculum would allow students to choose a minimum of seven and a maximum of nine subjects, depending on their strengths. Talented students, however, can choose to take more than nine subjects. The curriculum has been designed for grammar, STEM, and technical schools across the country.
With these comprehensive changes, the GES and NaCCA aim to create a more inclusive and holistic educational environment that prepares Ghanaian students for diverse and successful futures.