Ghana’s Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, has introduced a plan to overhaul the country’s secondary education system.
The newly unveiled Free Senior High School (SHS) Bill, slated for presentation to Parliament, proposes extending secondary education to six years, effectively adding three years to the current structure.
In a recent media briefing, Dr. Adutwum detailed how the Free SHS Bill, if passed, would elevate SHS certification as Ghana’s primary academic qualification, supplanting the BECE.
This restructuring aims to streamline the secondary education journey, with newly designed schools accommodating both JHS and SHS students on shared campuses. Existing institutions with combined JHS and SHS programmes would continue this integrated approach, reflecting a traditional model of cross-level student interaction.
Dr Adutwum underscored that the bill seeks to revive elements of the previous middle school and secondary school systems, where school placement was determined by the common entrance examination and the hall examination served as a gateway to employment or further education.
The proposed Free SHS Bill represents a substantial reform in Ghana’s educational landscape, intended to improve the continuity and quality of secondary education.
Stakeholders will closely follow its potential impact on students, educators, and the broader educational community as it progresses through the legislative process.
Key to the bill is the separation of junior high school (JHS) from basic education, integrating it into a cohesive six-year secondary education framework. Notably, it aims to abolish the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) as a prerequisite for entering secondary school.
Source: Graphic Online
