Textbooks for new curriculum will not be available in schools - Ghana Book Publishers Association

The Ghana Book Publishers Association says textbooks which were designed based on the new curriculum, are not ready and will not be available in schools as the new academic year commences next week. 

Eliot Agyare, who is the President of the Book Publishers Association says they are currently developing the books to submit to the National Council for Curriculum Assessment (NACA) for evaluation.

The delay, he says, will impact negatively on academic work.

“The policy paper 23 makes a very strong case that every child needs a textbook. Secondly, from all the researches that we have come across, it says that next to an engaged and prepared teacher is a good and well-designed textbook. This is not contested.

READ ALSO:  New curriculum : GES has no intention to make Arabic compulsory - Head of PR Unit

“The textbook is the student’s best friend. When they go home that is what they engage in,” he told Joy News.

The GES launched the new education curriculum in April this year as part of ongoing reforms in the sector.

Director-General of the Ghana Education Service Prof. Opoku-Amankwa said the reform is in line with international best practice, which requires a review every five years.

“A key feature of the new curriculum is the introduction of a national assessment examination at classes two, four and six,” he said.

This will replace the status quo where students are assessed nationally during the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).

The existing curriculum has been faulted for its great emphasis on preparing learners just to pass examinations rather than to actually acquire knowledge.

“Other challenges in the existing curriculum include content overload and an inability of the assessment system, without sufficient data, to help fashion out improvement in teaching and learning.

“Indeed the current landscape in terms of learning outcomes is not encouraging,” Opoku Amankwa told the press.

But President of the Book Publishers Association, Eliot Agyare believes that given the critical role textbooks play it should have considered the same time the policy was going to be implemented.

“Unfortunately in our planning, the textbooks were not going to be in place at the same time as implementing the policy.”

According to him, everything must be in place to ensure that the textbooks are in place early.

READ ALSO:  New GES curriculum to erase 'chew and pour' mentality among students