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| The Minister of Education- Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum. |
The National Standardized Test (NST) will be taken by private schools this year, according to the Minister of Education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum.
In response to a query regarding the participation of private schools in the NST, he said this during a press conference in Accra.
This came after he briefed everyone on the results of the test's inaugural administration from last year.
Private schools were included when the Ghana National Private Schools (GNAPS) and the Ghana National Council of Private Schools (GNACOPS) voiced their concerns over being excluded from the test's initial administration.
Maiden
The NST strives to enhance learning outcomes for students in grades two through six in public schools.
For students in primary four, the first edition was published on Friday, December 17, 2021 across the nation (P4).
Together with the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA), the West African Examinations Council, and Ghana Education Service (GES), the NST was administered (WAEC).
200 students wrote in each of the 2,850 examination centers throughout the nation.
Results
As a result of their students' success in the first-ever NST for Primary Four students, the Ahafo, Bono East, and Bono regions emerged as the center of public basic education.
The three regions, which were originally combined to create the Brong Ahafo Region, emerged as a strong base for lower primary education, according to the findings of the NST, in which nearly 390,000 P4 students from 14,883 public schools participated.
Candidates
A total of 431,206 applicants signed up to take the math and English language tests.
This comprised 210,916 female students and 220,290 male students.
398,698 students registered for the English test in total (i.e. 32,508 were absent on the day the test was taken).
399,486 students registered for the Mathematics test in total (i.e. 31,720 were absent on the day of the test).
Overall, students' performance in English was slightly superior to that in mathematics.
In other words, 50% of the students had English proficiency levels below basic, while the other 50% had basic, proficient, and advanced levels.
The results also showed that math was a very difficult subject for primary school students.
The remaining 38% of the students achieved basic, competent, and advanced levels, while 62% of the students were below the basic level, according to Dr. Adutwum.
Interventions
The minister stated that districts and schools that fared poorly on the NST would receive help.
The data we have will provide us with a unique opportunity to learn about what is happening in the various districts and schools.
In answer to a query on the nature of the interventions that will be implemented, Dr. Adutwum replied, "So, this is the first genuine opportunity; we have some data to begin to practice and support our kids."
