EduWatch calls for Agric to be 1-year course for all SHS 1 students

Africa Education Watch (Eduwatch) will be engaging the Ministry of Education on the possibility of making Agriculture a one-year foundational course for all first-year Senior High School students, the education think tank has said.

“Eduwatch will be engaging the Ministry of Education (MoE) on among others, the possibility of making agriculture a one-year foundational course for all Senior High School (SHS) 1 students.

As indicated earlier, what we have is a draft, subject to cabinet approval before implementation later in the year,” the Executive Director of Africa Education Watch, Mr Kofi Asare said in a social media post sighted by Thisterm.com.

Commenting on the pilot of the new SHS curriculum which has been ongoing in about 30-second cycle schools for months, the EduWatch Director expressed hope that the outcomes of the piloting will yield better results.

“The piloting of the new curriculum has been ongoing in about 30 schools for months. Hopefully, the outcomes of the piloting will strengthen the final product,” the Education Policy Analyst stated in his post.

Kofi Asare’s comment comes after an official of the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment said the new Senior High School curriculum will be piloted in two second-cycle schools namely Okuapeman Senior High School and Mampong Senior Technical School

The Curriculum Council (NaCCA) official said his outfit after the Second cycle school curriculum pilot would take feedback from the Senior High Schools (SHS) and incorporate concerns before the curriculum is rolled out nationally.

In a discussion with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), Mr Reginald Quartey, Head of the Curriculum Directorate at NaCCA said the new Senior High School Curriculum will focus on social, emotional and behavioural issues and values.

He indicated that the Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA) had consulted various stakeholders including persons with disabilities to make the new curriculum inclusive and cater for the needs of learners with disability.

“The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment with the support of T-Tel (Transforming Teaching Education and Learning), a Ghanaian not-for-profit organisation, has constituted an Inclusive Education Expert Advisory panel to strengthen accessibility for learners with disability,” Reginald Quartey, told the Ghana News Agency in the discussion.