NaCCA to develop mathematics curriculum for special students

The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA) says a mathematics curriculum is being developed for special students to enable them to study Mathematics in both the Secondary and Tertiary education levels.Ms Mabel Viviey, a Communication and Information Technology Coordinator, observed that for a very long time, special students at the secondary educational level were deprived of studying mathematics, a basic requirement at the tertiary school level.She was addressing stakeholders in the Eastern Region at an engagement on the newly developed Senior High School, Senior High Technical School (SHS/SHTS) and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Curriculum organized by NaCCA.In attendance were over 100 stakeholders consisting of the Eastern Regional Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS), the Eastern Regional Secretary of the Ghana National Association of Teachers and some heads of schools.Also were representatives from the Ghana Blind Union, Ghana Education Servi ce, the New Juaben Traditional Council, the Hearing Impaired and some students from the SHS/SHTS and a basic school.Ms. Viviey said the Ghanaian Sign Language lacked a lot of vocabulary which made the language sound like broken English, however, NaCCA was working around the clock to make provision for the lack as the new curriculum promoted inclusive education.Highlighting some features of the newly developed curriculum, she mentioned Intervention English and Mathematics which helped weaker students in the two areas to improve without any private extra classes.'Parents will not have to pay extra money to teachers to privately teach their wards who lagged in the study of English and Mathematics. The new curriculum addresses the issue through the Intervention English and Mathematics,' she noted.Again, she said the new curriculum provided the philosophy, vision, and goals for every subject to help learners understand the importance of the subject of study and how the subject could contribute to achieving their aspirations.'Professional stereotypes will be eradicated with the new curriculum. A profession will no longer be defined by gender as seen in nursing and other professions,' she added.To test the competency of the newly developed curriculum before its implementation in October 2024, Ms. Rebecca Abu Gariba, the Corporate Director for NaCCA said the curriculum was being tested in 33 categories A, B and C schools across the country.Also, a curriculum draft was reviewed by national and international experts to ensure it met the national and international quality standards.Ms. Gariba also said that Ghana had not developed a secondary education curriculum since the old one that mostly focused on memorization developed in 2007 and reviewed in 2010.She stressed that to nurture learners who are critical thinkers, solution-driven, competent, and responsible citizens who uphold the values of the country, a new curriculum was deemed necessary.In view of this, an Inter-Agency Curriculum Writing Group (IA CWG) including representatives from the government and the Ministry of Education agencies, universities, teacher unions, and other key stakeholders was formed in 2022 to write a curriculum writing guide implemented in developing the new curriculum.The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment a public statutory body dedicated to improving learning experiences and outcomes of all Ghanaian children through a world-class curriculum and assessment development.Source: Ghana News Agency