EduWatch begs MoE to scrap Senior High School Agric course
Africa Education Watch after the Minister for Education asked tertiary institutions to consider students with D7 in WASSCE for admission has appealed to the Education Ministry for the Agric course to be scrapped from the Senior High School (SHS) curriculum.
Kofi Asare, the Executive Director of the EduWatch who made the appeal on behalf of his outfit said the Ministry of Education (MoE) is wasting the time of SHS Agric students who cannot go and read BSC Agric in a public university.
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“Another incongruity lies in the Physics, Chemistry Biology requirements for BSC Agric. If only science students qualify to read BSC Agric, then scrap Agric from SHS because we are wasting the time of SHS Agric students who cannot go and read BSC Agric in a public university,” he said.
The Education Economist and Policy Analyst in a post sighted by AcademicWeek said the Ministry of Education (MoE) alternatively can introduce BA Agric and rank it at the same level as BSC Agric at the labour market entry-level.
On the Minister for Education’s call for public tertiary institutions to accept grade D7 in WASSCE for admission, the Education Think Tank Director said the move would increase tertiary enrollment from 19% to 40% by 2030.
He said the tertiary entry requirements reforms will not only help the government achieve the education strategic plan of increasing university enrollment but also expand opportunities for academic and career progression for our youth.
Asare’s petition comes after the Education Minister, Dr Adutwum at the swearing-in and inauguration of Governing Councils of some public technical Universities said aggregate D7 in WASSC should not be a barrier to a student’s admission into the tertiary.
He said His Excellency Nana Akufo-Addo as part of efforts to ensure all free SHS beneficiaries continue their education at the tertiary level has added more diploma programmes to the programmers offered by various institutions.
“President has set an agenda of 40%, what it also means is that you have to start looking at your programmes, more diploma programmes so that students sitting home with D7 will find a place in your institution,” Mr Osei Yaw stated.
The Bosomtwe lawmaker at the ceremony added that “we shouldn’t see D7 as a barrier for prospective students accessing tertiary. We must support them to take various diploma programmes so that after that they can go to work.”