New Curriculum: Nationwide training of private school teachers takes off today

The nation is set for the introduction of the Standard-Based Curriculum by the Ministry of Education from KG1 to Basic 6 this September. This is to ensure that Ghanaian children are equipped with the needed competencies and values required by the 21st century job market.

In line with this, the leadership of the various private school associations are leaving no stone unturned to provide a holistic training for all the teachers in the private schools in the effective use of this new curriculum.

In a statement issued and signed by the Director for Training and Research of Ghana National Council for Private Schools (GNACOPS), Mantey Jectey-Nyarko (Ph.D), copied to the media disclosed that "Following a series of meetings with the Deputy Minister of Education, the Pre-tertiary Directorate, the National Council for curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA) by the leadership of the GNACOPS, GNAPS, FERDS and WAMA, there was an agreement between the Ministry and leadership of the various associations for NaCCA to train master trainers for the private school teachers and to help outline a roadmap for the training of the teachers in the private schools to effectively deliver on the new Curriculum commencing September".

The statement said "To this end, three weeks ago, there was a training programme for 130 National trainers drawn from the various regions by NaCCA who will in turn train over 70,000 teachers in the private schools throughout the country".

The statement continued that "The 5-day training program, which took place at the School of Nuclear and Allied Sciences, Haatso in Accra, was officially launched by the Deputy Minister of Education in- charge of General Education officially launched a training for private schools".

The statement noted that "As in the case of the simulation at Ejura, the participants will be schooled in the relevant areas pertaining to the Standard based Curriculum, namely, the Pretertiary curriculum framework, concept of the Standard-Based curriculum, the front matter of the various subject curriculum, Creative pedagogies, how to write and apply the Scheme of Learning, inclusivity and Barriers to learning as well as the Professional Learning Community (PLCs) and Coaching".

The statement is, therefore, warning some people who are parading themselves as educational consultants who are training some teachers in some private schools to desist from that.

"We want to say emphatically that no one apart from those selected and trained by NaCCA under the authorisation of the Ministry of Education has the mandate train any private school teacher", the statement emphasized.

The statement concluded that "In this vein, the leadership of the various private school associations wish to assure its members of their commitment to ensuring the training of all private school teachers, from Kindergarten to Basic six".

Below is the full statement

NEW CURRICULUM: NATIONWIDE TRAINING OF PRIVATE SCHOOL TEACHERS TAKES OFF ON MONDAY 19TH AUGUST 2019

The nation is set for the introduction of the Standard-Based Curriculum by the Ministry of Education from KG1 to Basic 6 this September. This is to ensure that Ghanaian child is equipped with the much needed competencies and values required by the 21st century job market.

In line with this, the leadership of the various private school associations are leaving no stone unturned to provide a holistic training for all the teachers in the private schools in the effective use of this new curriculum.

Following a series of meetings with the Deputy Minister of Education, the Pre-tertiary Directorate, the National Council for curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA) by the leadership of the GNACOPS, GNAPS, FERDS and WAMA, there was an agreement between the Ministry and leadership of the various associations for NaCCA to train master trainers for the private school teachers and to help outline a roadmap for the training of the teachers in the private schools to effectively deliver on the new Curriculum commencing September.

To this end, three weeks ago, there was a training programme for 130 National trainers drawn from the various regions by NaCCA who will in turn train over 70,000 teachers in the private schools throughout the country.

The 5-day training program, which took place at the School of Nuclear and Allied Sciences, Haatso in Accra, was officially launched by the Deputy Minister of Education in- charge of General Education officially launched a training for private schools. The master trainers, equipped to train teachers in the private schools across the country on how to effectively teach with the new standard based curriculum will be deployed to 98 training centres throughout the country.

On Tuesday 13th August 2019, the leadership of private schools commenced a 4-day national master training simulation programme for over 200 private school teachers drawn from private schools at Ejura Municipality.

During the simulation, the teachers were schooled on what the new curriculum entails.

This included the Pretertiary curriculum framework, concept of the Standard-Based curriculum, the front matter of the various subject curriculum, Creative pedagogies, how to write and apply the Scheme of Learning, inclusivity and Barriers to learning as well as the Professional Learning Community (PLCs) and Coaching. The knowledge acquired by the teachers is supposed to help them deliver effectively to achieve their objective.

Following a successful simulation programme at Ejura in the Ashanti region, the nationwide training kickstarts tomorrow in three regional centres namely Accra in the Greater Accra region, Kumasi in the Ashanti region and KuKuom in the Ahafo region. The preceding weeks will see the other regions having their own share of the training.

As in the case of the simulation at Ejura, the participants will be schooled in the relevant areas pertaining to the Standard based Curriculum, namely, the Pretertiary curriculum framework, concept of the Standard-Based curriculum, the front matter of the various subject curriculum, Creative pedagogies, how to write and apply the Scheme of Learning, inclusivity and Barriers to learning as well as the Professional Learning Community (PLCs) and Coaching.

The leadership wish to inform its members that it has gotten wind of and sighted a couple of people parading themselves as educational consultants, mandated to train teachers in the private schools.

We want to say emphatically that no one apart from those selected and trained by NaCCA under the authorisation of the Ministry of Education has the mandate train any private school teacher.

In this vein, the leadership of the various private school associations wish to assure its members of their commitment to ensuring the training of all private school teachers, from Kingdergarten to Basic six.

Signed!

Mantey Jectey-Nyarko (Ph.D)

Director for Training and Research,

Ghana National Council for Private schools (GNACOPS)