Pilot 6yrs SHS education before rollout – EduWatch to MoE

Executive Director for Africa Education Watch (EduWatch) Kofi Asare following the Ministry of Education’s decision to extend Senior High School education from 3 to 6 years has said the policy must be piloted before its full rollout.

Citing lengthening of the secondary school education to six years may be good or bad depending on the implementation method, the EduWatch Director said the piloting would be a step in the right direction.

“Six years of secondary may be good or bad, depending on the implementation approach. It is good this will be piloted first, even though the policy document is another secret,” he stated in a post sighted by AcademicWeek.com.

Kofi Asare’s recommendation comes after the Minister in charge of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum disclosed the current (Senior High School) SHS education which is 3 years in due course will be expanded to a maximum of 6 years.

Speaking at the 60th Anniversary celebration of the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS) he said his outfit at the appropriate time would seek approval from Parliament to extend the second cycle education.

“This will be done by amending the Pre-Tertiary Education Act which stipulates that Junior High School forms part of basic education in Ghana. The expansion will ensure that students are well-equipped and prepared, “Adutwum stated.

The 60th Anniversary of the Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools conference was themed “60 years of shaping second cycle education in Ghana, the challenges and successes in the contemporary time-the role of stakeholders.”

In other news, the Education Think Tank – Africa Education Watch (EduWatch) Director, Kofi Asare has appealed to the Ministry of Education (MoE) for the Agric course to be scrapped from the Senior High School (SHS) curriculum.

“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 social media post said the Ministry in charge of Education (MoE0 alternatively can introduce BA Agric and rank it at the same level as BSC Agric at the labour market entry level.