A total of one million, five hundred and forty-two thousand (1,542,000) pupils from private and public schools have written this year’s edition of the National Standardised Test (NST).
Of the number, 792,000 were primary four pupils while the remaining 750,000 were primary two pupils in public and private schools across the country.
The essence of the test is to ascertain the strength and weaknesses of the pupils in literacy and numeracy, which are the foundational skills for effective teaching and learning.
Addressing the media after monitoring the NST in some selected schools in Accra, last Friday, the Education Minister, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, praised all stakeholders who contributed in diverse ways towards the execution of the test.
Some of the schools visited were the Adabraka Cluster of Schools which include the Nii Amugi Basic, All Saints Anglican, Calvary Methodist One, Two and Grey Memorial Junior High One Basic School.
The Director General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Dr. Eric Nkansah, who accompanied the Education Minister, eulogised the teachers and other staff who contributed in diverse ways towards the success of the exercise.Â
The primary two NST which took place a couple of days ago saw a total of 750,000 pupils across the country involving 18,000 public and private schools with 9,000 Test Administrators assisting in the execution of the test, with tablets provided by NaCCA.
The primary four tests were however written on paper last Friday.
The Education Ministry, in its bid to seek solutions to challenges confronting the education sector, piloted the National Standardised Test in the country last year.
Last year’s edition saw all primary four pupils from public schools across the country taking part in the test.
The data gathered from the test assisted the government in planning and also finding the state of affairs at that level of education in the country.
This year, the Education Ministry created an opportunity for all private schools in the country to hook up to the exercise, but some of them could not submit the needed input towards the test, leading to a few private schools being unable to participate in the test.