pThe Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), has organised a two-day orientation workshop on ‘Professional school curriculum development assessment’ for 120 teachers in Ho, the Volta Regional capital.
The event was aimed at equipping participants drawn from Volta, Greater Accra and Eastern regions with the necessary skills to be able to comprehend, access school curriculum, and contribute meaningfully in the formulation of public basic school curriculum.
In a speech read on her behalf, Madam Enyonam Amafuga, Volta Regional Director of Education, said that regular training for teachers helped them to be abreast of new teaching strategies and practices.
She said it had also motivated teachers to give off their best in the achievement of the objectives and goals of the service.
Madam Amafuga said the event would help participants to update their knowledge and skills on current teaching strategies as far as curriculum development and assessment was concerned.
She assured teachers that the directorate would continue to empower them with adequate and useful information relating to their work schedules through regular in-service training even in the midst of scarce resources.
Mr Matthew Adjardjah, head of Professional Development of GNAT noted that what teachers practise at the moment was objective-based curriculum, which sought to get students to produce facts, but it did not promote critical thinking.
He said such method did not also assist students to identify their potentials, and for that matter, the curriculum had no place for the development of potentials.
Mr Adjardjah indicated that GNAT was poised to offer professional development programmes, by taking their members through what the new curriculum entailed.
Mr Ayuba Aginda, the Assistant Volta Regional Chairman of GNAT, called for a paradigm shift in the approach of teaching and general attitudes towards work in order to bring the needed change to school performance.
FROM KAFUI GATI, HO