MoE announces the ‘first’ SHS to be converted into a Smart School

Kumasi-based Opoku Ware School (OWASS) has been selected by the government as the first Senior High School (SHS) to be converted into a Smart School, the Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum has disclosed.

During his visit to the Opoku Ware School on Sunday, June 2, 2024, the Education Minister said the central government Smart School project aimed at revolutionising education in about 30 Senior High Schools (SHSs) across Ghana.

“In two weeks, the Vice-president and presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, will be here to hand over your tablets to you, and within this period, smart boards will be installed in ten classes for the commencement of the Smart project,” Dr Adutwum announced.

The Smart School initiative, the Minister in Charge of Education speaking to the students said is a significant step by the Nana Addo-led government towards advancing e-learning and digitalisation in the country’s education system.

This project will provide comprehensive teaching and learning management systems and digital educational content to Senior High and Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions nationwide, enhancing teaching, learning, and understanding.

“Very soon, when this school is fully converted into a Smart School, your home assignments, class tests, exams, marking, and grading will be done online, and you will get your results instantaneously

Other schools are going to be working with you. Some schools will log into your system and take advantage of your system to learn. They can log into your chemistry class and take part in it,” the Minister of Education noted.

The Member of Parliament for the Bosomtwe constituency also indicated that the central government plans to build more virtual learning high schools in the country, allowing students to register and pursue online courses.

Highlighting the successes of the Free SHS policy, he said before the policy, the national student population at the SHS level was a little over 800,000, but it now stands at 1.4 million, with first-year student intake currently at 505,000.

Providing regional statistics of Free SHS entry rates, he said the Northern Region is (95%), North East and Savanna Regions (94%), Upper East (92%), and Upper West (89%) saying the Volta Region, with the lowest figure of 76%, is being targeted for improvement.

“The Free Senior High School (Free SHS) policy has also had a positive impact on girl-child education. Before the policy, if you had 100 boys in a school, you would find only 68 girls. But now, if you have 100 boys, you will find 106 girls

The boy-girl ratio in schools currently stands at 100 boys to 106 girls, a significant improvement in the girl-student population in Senior High Schools. This is one of the good things Free SHS has brought to us,” Dr. Adutwum stated.