Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh
THE MINISTER of Education, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, says the Akufo-Addo administration has improved the country’s educational system, delivering better learning outcomes than it inherited.
According to him, learning outcomes were low across the country’s pre-tertiary levels of education and that in 2013 and 2015 Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA) and Early Grade Mathematics Assessment (EGMA) results showed that by the end of Primary Two (P2), only 2% or less pupils could read with fluency and comprehension, while majority of pupils did not perform well in Mathematics beyond the procedural level.
“In the National Education Assessment (NEA) conducted in 2016, only 11% of P6 pupils were proficient in Mathematics,” he said.
Delivering a statement on the Floor of Parliament yesterday, Dr. Prempeh said “it is heartwarming to note that the well thought out initiatives pursued since 2017 are beginning to yield results. In the 2018 NEA proficiency rate in Mathematics, it increased from 11% in 2016 to 22% in 2018.”
He pointed out that at the secondary level, performance in WASSCE was poor, and that from 2011 to 2016, approximately 75% of all candidates failed to achieve qualification for tertiary education.
“In 2015, approximately 49% of candidates scored F9 in Mathematics and 37% of candidates scored F9 in Integrated Science. To improve performance, we have invested in supplying relevant instructional resources to schools, recruited and deployed teachers, provided in-service training to teachers with a focus on Mathematics and Science, and strengthened school leadership and management,” he disclosed.
The Education Minister revealed that in 2019, the pass rate in Mathematics reached 65%, the highest ever since the examination was introduced decades ago.
“Similarly, the proportion of students that score F9 in Mathematics has declined from 45% in 2015 to 14% in 2019. In Integrated Science, pass rate increased from 48% in 2016 to 63% in 2019. Proportion of students that score F9 in Integrated Science declined from 37% in 2015 to 10% in 2019,” he stated.
He added that for a long period, effective and meaningful learning in the schools were challenged with a curriculum which was fragmented, overloaded and did not meet international standards.
According to him, aside from lacking in fundamentals of learning and learning progression, the objective-based curriculum and its associated assessment expectations at the pre-tertiary level do not align with the idea of making learning more relevant to the social and economic needs of the 21st century.
“Consequently, in 2017 we prioritized curriculum revision and pursued it aggressively. Within the period under review, KG to P6 curriculum was completed, transitioning us from an objective-based curriculum to a 21st century standard-based curriculum.
“Almost all 153,000 KG and primary school teachers across the country received initial training and continue to update their skills and competencies on the new curriculum. Rollout commenced in September 2019 at the beginning of the 2019/2020 academic year,” he stated.
He said with the revised curricular, emphasis had been placed on the acquisition of foundational reading, writing, arithmetic and creative skills and core competencies including creativity and innovation, critical thinking and problem-solving, communication and collaboration, cultural identity and global citizenship, personal development and leadership, and digital literacy.
By Ernest Kofi Adu, Parliament House