A Deputy Ranking Member on the Parliament Education Committee, Dr. Clement Apaak, says no consultation was done before the introduction of the new curriculum for senior high schools (SHS).
Dr. Apaak, a former lecturer at the University of Ghana and a spokesperson on the education policy of former President John Dramani, said not even the Committee on Education was consulted.
Speaking in a media interview, Dr. Apaak expressed shock at the implementation of the new curriculum when stakeholders have not been engaged.
The government has announced new changes in the curriculum for senior high schools.
The changes are to focus on building character development and holistic education to create well-rounded, ready-for-the-world students.
The Director-General of the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA), Professor Yayra Dzakadzie, claimed all stakeholders were consulted.
“I am surprised if the ranking member says they’ve not been engaged. We have engaged all stakeholders, including the Parliamentary Select Committee on Education. We engaged every stakeholder extensively, including chiefs and people of Ghana,” he said.
Students are now required to do a minimum of seven and a maximum of nine learning areas in school.
But Dr. Apaak is questioning why the government would go ahead with the implementation without engaging parliament and the education committee.
He challenged the Director General of the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA), Professor Yayra Dzakadzie, to disclose a specific date and time for any consultation session held with the committee.
“This is the first time I am hearing of a rollout of a completed curriculum intended to replace what is currently in existence as far as Ghana Secondary Education is concerned. Whoever told you that there was an extensive engagement that included an engagement with the Parliamentary Select Committee on Education is clearly misleading you and the public.
“As a Deputy Ranking Member, there is no time, place, hour, or minute where the committee hosted anyone in the Ministry of Education or NaCCA where we were briefed, informed, or taken through what is today being marketed as new curriculum,” he told Joy News.
He said his checks with other committee members showed they were also not consulted on the matter.
He has therefore served notice that the Education Minister and NaCCA officials would be summoned before Parliament to answer questions.
By: Rainbowradioinline.com/Ghana