The Commission for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (CTEVET) has introduced two new innovations to help improve the operations of the Commission.
The two innovations are the introduction of test serialisation and the revision of the grading system for students after their examination.
Dr Fred Kyei Asamoah, the Director General of CTVET, who announced this on Monday during a press briefing in Accra, was upbeat that the new initiatives will help improve the operation of the Institution and also promote fairness among all candidates who write their certificate II Core and Elective examinations.
Test serialisation
The Director General indicated that the test serialisation was simply the process of generating different sets of the same questions, but with different positions of the test items, options and keys on the question papers of each candidate.
He explained that with serialisation, candidates in the same examination hall may receive the same questions, but with different question numbers.
Dr Kyei Asamoah stated that the test serialisation was to ensure that cheating during examination was a thing of the past.
The Director General mentioned the key characteristics of the testing, to easy testing students with different versions of the same questions, allowing the same test items to be administered at different examination centres, produce consistency and comparable scores.
He stated that the test serialisation, which starts from 10th July to 3rd August, 2023 during the writing of this year’s Certificate II, will see eight sets of questions being set for each question for the Core and Elective subjects.
Revised grading system
Dr Kyei Asamoah also spoke about the revision being made on the grading system for the Certificate II Core and Elective examinations.
This, according to him, was to ensure that it would be at par with the grading system of other examination bodies like the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and also to ensure that technical students face very few challenges when progressing to study at the tertiary level.
The examination would see a total of 32,402 candidates, comprising of 23,990 males and 8412 females writing the exams in seven programme areas.
The courses include; pre-tertiary Diploma, Diploma in Business Studies (DBS), Certificate II (Intermediate), Technicians Part II, Technicians part III and Advance.
STEMNNOVATION competition launched
In another development, the Minister for Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum last week Monday, launched this year’s edition of the National Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Project competition dubbed ‘STEMMNNOVATION’.
The launching of the event, with the theme: “Future –Proofing Socio-Economic Development in Ghana through STEM Education”, sets the tone for the commencement of all Senior High, as well as Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) institutions to showcase their prowess in innovative projects.
All the participating institutions and groups will be locking horns with their creative potential in finding lasting solutions to challenges confronting their immediate community or the country.
The participants are supposed to be current beneficiaries of the Free Senior High Programme and each institution is expected to be challenged to develop STEM projects on topics in the areas of urban gardening, clean water and flexible use of electricity.
Launching the event, Dr Adutwum reiterated government’s commitment towards supporting the transformation of the nation’s economy through education.
He recounted how President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo keeps showing his commitment towards the provision of the right resources to provide the needed infrastructure and the training of the right manpower for the transformation of the nation’s economy.
The Education Minister indicated that the construction of new STEM institutions, the rehabilitation of old schools, the supply of science equipment to existing and new schools were all part of the efforts to boost the teaching and learning of STEM related courses in the country.
He stated that to help provide the needed manpower to promote the nation’s industrialisation drive, STEM was surely the driving force to attain the dream of becoming an industrial nation.
The Coordinator of the Free Senior High School Secretariat, Mr William Darkwa, said “STEMNNOVATION is not just an event but a transformative force that ignites the spark of curiosity, innovation and problem-solving within the hearts and minds of our young generation. It is a movement that seeks to propel our country forward and empower our youth to become trailblazers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics”.
Again, he stated that: “As we embark on this journey, let us reflect on the profound impact that STEM education has on our society.
STEM is not merely an acronym but it is a gateway to unlocking the limitless potential within our children. It equips them with the critical skills and mind-set necessary to tackle the challenges of the 21st century and beyond.
“The Coordinator STEMNNOVATION 2023 is our call to action, our collective invitation to every SHS, SHTS and TVET institutions across Ghana. We challenge our young minds to employ the power of STEM in finding lasting solutions to the pressing problems within their communities. This is our opportunity to harness their passion, creativity and intellect to drive the socio-economic development of our beloved nation.”
Background
The STEMNNOVATION competition, which is the initiative of the FSHS Secretariat, brings all second cycle institutions in the country together to compete with their innovative projects.
Apart from helping the students the opportunity to work as a team, it also helps them to test their ability to research on issues affecting their communities and the nation as a whole.
Each of the competing institutions would have to qualify from their various regions before competing at the national finals slated for September this year.
By Felix Baidoo
