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Beginning next academic year, an hour a day will be dedicated to primary school pupils to assist and support one another to accomplish tasks that will be assigned to them as part of measures by the Ghana Education Service (GES) to ensure pupils work as teams to make them more responsible.
The Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, who announced this, said the GES was currently revising the curriculum from kindergarten to Primary Six.
He said it would inculcate new values of integrity into pupils and, therefore, urged teachers to strictly adhere to the change when it did take effect.
Mr Iddrisu was speaking at this year’s graduation ceremony of Akosombo International School (AIS), at Akosombo, in the Asuogyaman District in the Eastern Region, on the theme:
“Empowering young minds towards a constantly-changing world.’’
In all, 319 students graduated.
Mr Iddrisu said the initiative was part of measures to respond to the changing world.
The graduates
“Also, from the kindergarten-primary-junior high school, we intend to introduce Electronics, Coding and Artificial Intelligence as part of the formative years of children,” he added.
The minister, however, advised students not to allow AI content to make them lazy learners, saying that it was rather meant to guide them in their learning experience.
On the ongoing school placement, the minister described the exercise as fair and transparent.
He said that although many parents wanted their children to be admitted to Category “A” schools, that was not possible considering the prevailing inadequate resources and infrastructure in such schools.
‘’You don’t expect Achimota to double the intake when you have not assisted them with a classroom block or a dormitory. You don’t expect Wesley Girls, St. Mary’s or Yaa Asantewa to do the same, neither do I expect Heads to change their numbers and multiply them.
“If there is more capacity, all you will need is good teachers and they will be happy to serve the country,” Mr Iddrisu said.
He commended the management of AIS for their excellent performance in preparing the graduates for the world; however, he encouraged the staff to do more in the coming years.
Mr Iddrisu also established an award scheme, naming it after the late Member of Parliament for Tamale Central, Dr Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, whose son is a student of the school.
He presented the first prize of GH¢5,000 to the Overall Best graduating student award to Henrietta Nana Aquaba Forson.
The award will be in force for the next 10 years to immortalise his late colleague, who was involved in a helicopter crash on August 6 this year.
The Managing Director of VRA International Schools Limited, Eric Mensah Bonsu, stressed the need for the graduates to carry forward the values they had learnt - integrity and honesty, passion for excellence, discipline, hard work and empathy.
The Headmistress of the school, Sarah Freda Adei, expressed gratitude to the board and management of VRA for providing the needed resources to facilitate teaching and learning in the school.
Other speakers included the Chief Executive Officer of National Investment Bank, Chief Dr Doliwura Zakaria, and Wonder Victor Kutor.
