GES Directs Teachers To Abandon New Curriculum For Basic Schools

The Ghana Education Service (GES) has reportedly directed teachers at the Basic School level to stop using the new curriculum that went into implementation at the beginning of this year for teaching and learning.

The coalition of Concerned Teachers (CCT) which made the revelation says the GES has actually directed teachers to return to the old curriculum, a development that is sure to cause further confusion within the educational sector of the country.

Already, schools from basic levels to senior high school levels have complained about the absence of a properly authorized school curriculum which is accessible to all schools.

 It has not been explained why the GES has directed the reported reversal

It is recalled that in April 2019, the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service, Prof. Kwasi Opoku Amankwa, announced sweeping educational reforms at a press conference in Accra.

As part of the reforms, a new curriculum was introduced for Basic schools and had been timed for implementation at the beginning of the 2019-2020 academic year.

Under the new curriculum, the subjects to be taught at the kindergarten level have been reduced from seven to four, which are integrated into themes.

The GES had said the reforms would help ensure that children are able to fully grasp what is being taught by teachers. 

Though its implementation had earlier been scheduled for 2019, the GES postponed the date to help publishers to update materials appropriately and also create latitude for teachers to adjust to the new curriculums.

However, seven months into its implementation, the GES has reportedly asked teachers to revert to the old curriculum. Teachers have already started voicing frustration over the directive.

The director of communications at the Coalition of Concerned Teachers, Ayikwei Awuley Adokwei, has said the new directive implies teachers will have to take steps backwards after implementing the new curriculum for seven months.

 “As teachers in the classroom without textbooks, now you have to refer to textbooks of the old curriculum to teach the new curriculum does not flow, teachers need to look at it and make adjustments before teaching and it brings a whole lot of burden on the teaching process for teachers,” he said.

 He added that “it means whatever you taught the pupils with the new curriculum for the past seven months, you have to go and take the old one and restart teaching.”