Prof. Anamuah-Mensah advocates for ‘recovery curriculum programme’ for primary school pupils

A former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Education, Winneba, Professor Jophus Anamuah-Mensah has charged educational stakeholders to develop a curriculum recovery programme for primary school pupils upon resumption of school.

This, he says, will help the pupils to make up for the difficulties they are likely to face when school reopens due to their long stay at home amid the Coronavirus.

For him, primary school pupils are vulnerable, so using a virtual approach of learning will only get them lost.

In an address delivered at the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) 2020 stakeholders forum, Professor Anamuah-Mensah noted that “when deploying online academic learning, it should be noted that the primary pupils have little experience of learning outside the school and are the least able to cope with the disruption of school."

He indicated that they need all the necessary support so assessments must be carried out to identify their learning gaps.

He then argued that developing a recovery curriculum programme, upon reopening of schools, will help cater for learning losses suffered by students as a result of the closure schools since March this year.

“Develop what I call the recovery curriculum to address the issues they encounter; already we know that when students go on vacation and return and you ask them the things you have already taught them, most of them have forgotten so you need to have this recovery curriculum to support them,” he said.

Professor Anamuah-Mensah further stressed on the need for teachers to create a local community of practice where teachers will come together to share ideas of how best to continue engaging students as schools remain closed.