The College of Education Studies has held a five-day retreat to review its existing Teacher Education curriculum for Senior and Vocational Schools to conform with the new Standards-Based Curriculum (SBC).
The introduction of the Standards-Based Curriculum is in response to reforms in the country's education sector which the government intends to introduce in Senior High schools in the next academic year.
Opening the retreat, the Provost of the College of Education Studies, Prof Ernest Kofi Davis, said the retreat was to review the existing curriculum of the various departments in line with the new direction of teacher education and global best practices.
“The objective of the review is to ensure that programmes run by UCC respond to requirements of the reforms at the Senior High School level and also produce quality teachers who are globally competitive and entrepreneurial in their orientation,” he stressed.
Prof Ernest Kofi Davis speaking at the programme
Prof. Davis intimated that the SBC was introduced to address the challenges with the current curriculum which mainly emphasises on acquisition of knowledge and skills.
“The SBC ensures that the content of the new curriculum meets the 21st-century competencies and is also benchmarked to national and international standards,” he explained.
Touching on teacher education, Prof. Davis stated that the philosophy guiding teacher education in Ghana focused on developing teachers who possess professional skills, attitudes, values, and comprehensive understanding of content knowledge.
Participants in the retreat
“It emphasises a spirit of inquiry, innovation, and creativity, enabling them to adapt to changing circumstances, implement inclusive strategies, and embrace lifelong learning,” he added.
He, therefore, urged the various departments to work in teams to develop an innovative curriculum that would equip educators with the skills and knowledge needed to meet the ever-evolving demands of modern education.
In his address, the Executive Chair of Teacher Education in Sub-Saharan Africa (TESSA), Prof. Jophus Anamuah-Mensah, said the SBC was very critical in defining the future prospects of the youth.
Prof. Jophus Anamuah-Mensah
He urged faculty members of the College to put in their best to develop a time-testing curriculum with outcomes that would contribute to the achievement of national development priorities and global sustainable development goals.
The retreat brought together Deans of Faculty/Schools, Heads of Department and lecturers within the College of Education Studies to discuss the SBC and work in teams to produce draft curriculum for programmes in the respective disciplines.
Source: Documentation and Information Section
