By Frank Kwame Abbor
Ho, Aug. 14, GNA – The Ghana Education Service (GES) has organised a two-day training workshop for Senior High School (SHS) Visual Arts teachers in the Volta Region, to prepare them for the rollout of the revised national curriculum.
The training was in collaboration with the Arts Teachers Association of Ghana (ATAG) and supported by Transforming Teaching, Education and Learning (T-TEL),
It brought together Visual Arts teachers from 24 SHSs for training in rubric development, modern assessment methods and grading techniques, designed to meet 21st century learning standards.
Professor Ebenezer Acquah, a lead facilitator, said the previous curriculum, introduced in 1987, had outlived its relevance in today’s rapidly changing educational environment, particularly with technological advancements such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) reshaping the learning space.
“It is full of repetition of topics across the Visual Arts subjects, and the overwhelming majority of SHS students who complete the course are not living their dreams,” Prof. Acquah stated.
He said the nearly 40-year-old framework no longer addressed the needs of learners or adequately prepare them for modern creative industries.
Supporting this view, a fellow facilitator Mr Donkor, said “The old curriculum is about 40 years now, and the goals of the 1987 curriculum for SHS Visual Arts were not met.”
The revised curriculum, he explained, was designed to help learners discover and develop their creative capacities while expressing them in diverse ways that enriched their overall learning experiences.
As part of the reforms, the 10 existing skill-based topics had been streamlined into two core courses, being Arts Foundation and Arts and Design Studio- to place greater emphasis on practical creativity and reduce content repetition.
Mr Francis Yao Agbemadi, the Volta Regional Director of Education, congratulated the participants and urged them to take the training seriously, saying “This is the new path we are taking, and it is crucial that you embrace these reforms.”
He also announced that learner tablets would soon be distributed to SHS students in their schools in the region.
“I am very aware of the lack of adequate ICT facilities in some schools, so by the end of the week, the students’ tablets will get to your various schools,” he said.
The sessions included hands-on training in developing problem-based test items and practical rubrics to improve student assessment in Visual Arts.
Participants also discussed the welfare of Arts teachers, with much concerns raised about the increased in workload associated with the new curriculum compared to the 1987 version.
ATAG officials stressed that the updated curriculum would align Ghana’s Visual Arts education with global best practices and better prepare students for careers in the creative sector.
The participants expressed appreciation for the initiative and pledged to integrate the new teaching strategies into their classrooms.
The officials confirmed that similar training would be held in the coming days in other districts, including Akatsi, Kpando, and Hohoe.
GNA
Edited by Maxwell Awumah/ Christabel Addo