NaCCA makes changes to the New JHS Curriculum Implementation

Many concerned stakeholders including ITN over some time ago have proposed that some critical changes be made to the implementation of the Common Core Program Curriculum. 

A new release from  NaCCA indicates clearly that concerns raised by stakeholders concerning the implementation have been considered.

According to NaCCA, In the first four years of high school education, learners are expected to take a Common Core Programme (CCP) that emphasizes a set of high, internationally-benchmarked career and tertiary education ready standards. 

Learners need to acquire these for post-secondary education, the workplace or both.

 The standards articulate what learners are expected to know, understand and be able to do by focusing on their social, emotional, cognitive and physical development. The (CCP) runs from Basic 7 through Basic 10 (JHS1 – SHS1). 

The common core attributes of the learner, which describe the essential outcomes in the three domains of learning (i.e. cognitive, psychomotor and affective), are at the centre of the CCP. 

Inspired by the values which are important to the Ghanaian society, the CCP provides an education of the heart, mind and hands in relation to on the learner’s lifetime values, well-being, physical development, metacognition and problem-solving. 

Ultimately, this will produce character-minded learners who can play active roles in dealing with the increasing challenges facing Ghana and the global society.

Amongst other things, it was proposed that; 

• The implementation be postponed to next academic year, by that time, teachers would have been trained and all relevant materials provided.
• The four years curriculum be adjusted to be taught within three years to cover the 3 JHS Education period so that the Common core competencies outlined in the curriculum can be achieved by all students whether they proceed to SHS or not.
• A curriculum with one leg in JHS and the other in SHS is problematic. That’s considering barriers hindering student’s transition to SHS. 
• A snowballing approach of implementation. The way the primary one was implemented wholesale from kg to basic six has generated a lot of problems and chaos.

The New Developments in CCP are:

• It is a three-year programme designed for JHS1 – JHS3 Learners 
• It is to equip learners with the requisite knowledge, skills and competencies for academic progression and world of work 
• The CCP starts progressively next academic year – 2021/2022