By Miriam Adomaku Boateng
We begin the education sector’s recap with the Ghana Education Service announcement for the reopening dates for SHS and Basic Schools. The new transitional calendar for public schools was to eliminate the double track system within 5 to 7 years.
Following the announcement, four Teacher Unions implored GES to withdraw the newly introduced semester system at the pre-tertiary level for broader stakeholder consultations before implementation.
Member schools of Ghana National Council of Private Schools (GNACOPS) chose to maintain the trimester system at the basic education level. The GES eventually reverted the calendar back to the trimester system at the pre-tertiary level.
First year Senior High School students were admitted to their various schools across the country on Monday April 4, as the government phased out the double – track system.
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, STEM was focal in the education sector in 2022. President Akufo–Addo on Wednesday 12th January cut the sod to build the first STEM Academy in Accra, christened “The Accra Academy”. The Education Ministry says STEM education is to ensure that every Ghanaian child develops the skills of using science to solve problems.
Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, the Minister of Education announced the opening of six new Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) schools this year to improve on the science to humanities ratio programme.
The National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), rejected plans by the Ministry of Education to appoint head teachers for schools in the country.
The Ministry of Education with support from Coderina Edtech has launched this year’s first Lego League National Robotics/STEM competition. This is the second edition in Ghana and the fifth globally.
An ultra-modern Ghana TVET Service Headquarters was formally opened in Accra by Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia. The Applied Technology Institute was also inaugurated at the Headquarters and vehicles were distributed to selected TVET institutions. The 131.6-million-dollar projects and the start of work of 32 State of the Art TVET Institutions forms part of the government’s resolve to transform Technical and Vocational Education Training-TVET.
Gifted and Talented Education at the Senior High School level was introduced by the Minister for Education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum for particular attention to students with high IQ compared to their peers and build on their knowledge to help solve the socio-economic challenges confronting the country.
Cape Coast Technical University introduces masters in technology programme for students.
At the 6th Quadrennial Delegates’ Congress of the Ghana National Teachers’ Association, GNAT in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region, President Akufo-Addo announced that the minimum qualification for teachers will be a first degree. This is under the educational reforms.
He said government will be constructing 10,000 affordable housing units for teachers which would be completed within the next two years.
Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu praised government for introducing one of the boldest initiative of the nation, the free Senior High School (SHS) to give opportunity to all Ghanaian children to access Secondary education irrespective of their backgrounds. However, he said, the initiative also poses some challenges that must be addresses to safeguard the programme.
The National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) and the Students Representative Council (SRC) of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science Technology (KNUST) mobilised funds to pay the fees for 3000 out of the 6000 students deferred by the University for defaulting in fee payment.
Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum cut sod for the commencement of work for the construction of a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) academy project at Sawuah in the Bosomtwe District in the Ashanti Region where the district was adopted as Ghana’s formal education and human capital hub.
Ghana welcomed home 17 Ghanaian students who fled the ongoing war in Ukraine arrived back home to reunite with their families.
The Ministry of Education began distributing food items to all Senior High Schools across the country, prior to the reopening of schools early in the year. The supplies were in response to demands by the heads of the schools.
However, by mid-year, the sector Minister, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, met the leadership of the Conference of Heads of Assisted Schools over food shortages that were reported in some Senior High Schools across the country.
On October 31 the Conference of Principals of Colleges Education (PRINCOF) for trainee teachers also had a food crisis when they sought permission for the students to feed themselves because the feeding grant of GHS6.50ps was woefully inadequate.
Meanwhile. caterers under the school feeding programme were unhappy at the government’s failure to pay off all their arrears and demanded an upward adjustment of their daily rate of 97 pesewas to three cedis.
On a viral video about some school children that were served an unhealthy meal, the GSFP directed all its 16 Regional Coordinators to make their independent checks to establish the source of the video.
The Ministry of Education announced that the National Standardized Test organized for all primary four students last year has been extended to include P2 and P6 pupils.
The test, according to the Ministry, seeks to evaluate learning outcomes in English and Mathematics at the primary school level
President Akufo-Addo presented awards to 36 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), students who passed with distinction at this year’s President’s Independence Day Awards.
Kwame Brako Asante, a member of the team from NSMQ 2021 Finalists – PRESEC-Legon – emerged the overall best Ghanaian student in WASSCE 2021.
The Ghana School of Law entrance examination was cancelled and rescheduled after alleged leakage.
All teacher unions in the country comprising the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), the Teachers and Educational Workers Union (TEWU), Coalition of Concerned Teachers Ghana (CCT), Technical University Teachers Association of Ghana, TUTAG and the Colleges of Education Non-Teaching Staff Association of Ghana (CENTSAG) embarked on strikes in 2022 for various reasons. Starting on January 10, 2022 the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) called on members in all its 15 branches across the country to withdraw teaching and related service as a result of failure by the government to address their worsening conditions of service.
The National Labour Commission called the strike by UTAG illegal. With an application for interlocutory injunction, the NLC through a court order directed UTAG to call off the strike as they negotiated with government.
When UTAG’s strike exceeded five weeks, the Majority in Parliament stepped in to appeal to the striking UTAG members to return to the lecture halls. Deputy majority leader, Alex Afenyo-Markin called on the lecturers to balance their demands with the general interest of their students.
The strike actions were back and forth as the unions embarked and returned to the classrooms depending on the outcomes of negotiations with government. By midyear the unions were striking again for a 20% percent cost of living allowance (COLA). When government agreed to the payment of 15% COLA, Teacher Unions in the country asked their members to withdraw their services on July 4, 2022 citing the government’s delay in the payment of the (COLA)as the reason for the strike.
The latest Strike action was declared by leadership of three teacher unions –National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), and Coalition of Concerned Teachers, Ghana (CCT) on Friday, November 4, 2022. The teacher unions asked government to rescind its decision on the appointment of Dr. Eric Nkansah as Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES). They say it is unacceptable for a banker to head the Service, rather than an educationist.
The police in Kumasi resorted to the use of tear gas to quell a students protest at the Islamic Senior High School at Abrepo in the Ashanti Region.
Police in the Bolgatanga Municipality in the Upper East Region had a tough time controlling angry students of the Bolgatanga Technical Institute who were rioting over the detention of some students who were handed over to the police for entering an Examination Hall with foreign materials.
Police arrested two persons for the alleged robbery and murder of a final year student of Tweneboah Kodua Senior High School in the Ashanti Region. The suspects, Eric Anning and a minor, after allegedly robbing their victim, Osei Mensah Daniel, killed and buried him in a cocoa farm.
