Government to introduce Aerospace engineering course in SHS

The Government, as part of its educational reforms, will introduce aeronautics and aerospace engineering courses in secondary education to develop the creative ability of students and improve on the science to humanities ratio.

Other courses include environmental science, computer science, manufacturing, biomedical sciences, agricultural sciences, global studies and creative arts.

This is part of the new secondary career pathway for the country.

Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, the Minister of Education, who announced this in Accra, said a Curriculum Writing Group had been constituted and stakeholder consultations were ongoing.

He said the Government had drafted partnership guidelines between High Schools in Ghana and other schools for exchange programmes to learn from best practices and inculcate the knowledge acquired into the country’s educational system.

The Ministry, he said, had established the National Education Institute to run tailor-made courses in school leadership and management for practising and potential teachers to improve learning outcomes.

That, he explained was necessary because research conducted by the National Teaching Council revealed that 94.5 per cent of headmasters or headmistress in the public schools did not have formal training in school management.

He said the Government as part of efforts to improve technical and vocational education and skills in the country on December 14, 2021, launched the Ghana Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Service.

The Minister said all TVET institutions now captured under the TVET Service had been included in the Computerized School Selection and Placement System.

The Pre-Tertiary Education Act, 2020 (ACT 1049) has aligned all TVET providing institutions under the 19 Ministries offering skills training to the Ghana TVET Service under the Ministry of Education

The object of the Service is to manage, oversee and implement approved national policies and programmes relating to pre-tertiary technical and vocational education and training.

He 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 schools are: Abomosu STEM School, Kpasenkpe STEM School, Bosomtwe Girls STEM school, STEM Centre at Accra Senior High School and TVET School at East legion.

The government, he said, had commenced the development of 20 STEM centres, and 10 model STEM Senior High Schools across the country, which were at various stages of completion, as part of the commitment to the advancement of STEM education in the country.

To check examination malpractices, the Minister said the Government instituted the e-testing and serialisation, which was piloted in the 2021 National Standard Test and the Basic Education Certificate Examination.