Starting in two weeks time, Opoku Ware School(OWASS) in Kumasi will start this government's SMART School project which aims to revolutionize education in 30 Senior High Schools across Ghana.

Disclosing the great news to staff and students of OWASS on Sunday, 2nd June, 2024, Ghana's Minister of Education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum said the Akatakyie is the first school to be converted into a SMART School under the project.

''In two weeks time, the Vice President and Flag-bearer of the New Patriotic Party, Alhaji Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia will be here(OWASS) to hand over your tablets to you and within this period, SMART boards will be installed in ten classes, for the commencement of the SMART Project'', Dr Adutwum announced.

The Education Minister and Member of Parliament for Bosomtwe made the disclosure when he paid a surprise visit to Opoku Ware School to join the students at their dinning Hall for breakfast. While enjoying the cocoa beverage with bread on a table with the students, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum interacted with them, finding out their challenges and encouraging them to strive for higher heights in education.
According to the Minister, the SMART School initiative is a significant step by the Nana Addo-led government towards advancing e-learning and digitalization within the country’s education space.

Under this project, comprehensive teaching and learning management systems, along with digital educational content, will be provided to senior high and technical vocational education and training (TVET) institutions nationwide, to enhance teaching and learning, and boost understanding.

''So very soon, when this school is fully converted into a SMART School, your home assignments, class tests, exams, marking, grading will be done online, and you will get your results instantaneously''.

Other schools are going to be working with you. Some schools will log into your system and take advantage of your system to learn. They can log into your chemistry class and take part in it'', he added.

He indicated that government is going to build more virtual learning High Schools in the country, and that students can register and pursue online courses from these schools.

Chronicling some efforts made by his government in the education sector, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum explained that the implementation of the Free SHS policy has caused remarkable progreee on student intake in the Senior High Schools, including increment in number of girls at the secondary level.

Providing statistics to back this claim, Dr. Adutwum said national student population at the Senior High School, before the introduction of Free SHS policy, stood a little above eight hundred thousand(800,000), but the figure currently stands at one million, four hundred thousand(1.4 million). He added that first year students intake at the SHS is currently at Five Hundred and Five Thousand students(505,000).

The increment, the minister said, is solely attributed to making accessibility to the schools easier to all manner Ghanaian Children, through the Free SHS policy.

Giving some regional breakdown on intake at the SHS, He revealed that in the Northern Region, Ninety Five percent(95%) of pupils graduating from Junior High School, have entered Senior High School; in North East and Savanna Regions, 94% of the JHS graduates are in Senior High School; Upper East has 92% SHS entry rate, and Upper West, 89%. Volta region has the lowest figure of 76%; but the Minister assured that measures have been
put in place to ensure upsurge in the number of JHS leavers entering SHS.

''The Free SHS policy has also had positive impact on girl-child education as recently, more girls are in Senior High Schools than boys. Before the introduction of Free ShS, if you had 100 boys in a school, you would find only 68 girls in that school. But now, if you have 100 boys in a school, you would get 106 girls in the schools. That is, the boy girl ratio in school currently stands at 100 boys : 106 girls, a huge improvement in student- girls population in Senior High Schools. This is one of the good things Free SHS has brought to us '', the Education Minister averred.

Sompaonline.com/Nana Yaw Boamah