MoE introduces 1-year university programme for SHS graduates

The Ministry of Education (MoE) has introduced a one-year university programme dubbed pre-engineering for prospective second-cycle school graduates who did not offer any science-related courses in Senior High School.

Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, the Minister of Education and Member of Parliament for Bosomtwe Constituency disclosed this during his routine unannounced Senior/High Technical Schools (SHS) visits at Osu Presby Senior High School.

The new 1-year pre-engineering program offered at some selected universities in the country, the Education Minister said is purposely for students with non-science backgrounds who wish to pursue engineering at the tertiary level.

In a related development, an education think tank – Africa Education Watch (EduWatch) has petitioned the Ministry of Education (MoE) to completely scrap the Agric programme from the current Senior High School (SHS) curriculum.

Kofi Asare, the Executive Director of the EduWatch who appealed on behalf of his outfit said the Education Ministry is wasting the time of Senior High School Agric students who cannot go and read BSC Agric in a university.

“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 Africa Education Watch Executive Director in a post sighted by AcademicWeek suggested 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.

His call for the Agric programme to be scrapped from the second cycle school curriculum comes after the Minister for Education, Adutwum asked tertiary institutions in the country to consider students with D7 in WASSCE for admission.

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.