GTEC engages tertiary stakeholders on SHS reforms
The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) has held a series of stakeholder engagements with universities and colleges across the country to sensitise them to the ongoing Senior High School (SHS) reforms.
The exercise, supported by Transforming Teaching, Education and Learning (T-TEL), aims to ensure that tertiary institutions are adequately prepared to receive graduates from the reformed SHS system.
The engagement forms part of a nationwide sensitisation programme covering five zones: Tamale, Kumasi, Takoradi, Accra and Ho, with sessions already held in Tamale, Kumasi and Takoradi.
The next engagements are scheduled for Accra on November 17 and Ho on November 19, 2025.
Purpose
The nationwide exercise aims to raise awareness among key university stakeholders, including pro-vice-chancellors, provosts, deans, directors, and quality assurance officers, of the competencies and 21st-century values embedded in the new SHS curriculum developed by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA).
The curriculum emphasises competency-based learning, problem-solving, creativity and critical thinking to better prepare students for tertiary education and the demands of the job market.
The University for Development Studies (UDS) hosted the first engagement in Tamale on November 3, 2025, followed by the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi on November 5 and the Takoradi Technical University (TTU) on November 7. The sessions drew participants from tertiary institutions across the Northern, Upper East, Upper West, Ashanti, Ahafo, Bono, Bono East, Western, Western North, Central, Savannah and North East regions.
Reform
The Director-General of NaCCA, Prof. Samuel Ofori Bekoe, outlined the objectives of the new SHS curriculum, explaining that it focuses on developing learners’ competencies and skills through practical, problem-solving and collaborative approaches.
He explained that the new system was designed to bridge the gap between secondary and tertiary education by ensuring continuity in the learning process.
Professor Eric Anane of the University of Cape Coast led a session on aligning tertiary assessment practices with the new SHS framework, while Professor Eric Daniel Ananga of the University of Education, Winneba, discussed the implications of the reforms for university pedagogy and readiness.
A panel discussion, which included a former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Prof. C.N.B. Tagoe; Prof. Anane, Prof. Ananga and Prof. Bekoe, provided further insights into how tertiary institutions could adapt their teaching and evaluation systems to complement the reforms.
Commitment
A Deputy Director-General of GTEC, Prof. Augustine Ocloo, said the commission was committed to supporting tertiary institutions in aligning their programmes and quality assurance systems with the ongoing national education reforms.
He lauded the collaboration between GTEC and NaCCA, saying that it was an important step towards strengthening the education value chain from pre-tertiary to higher education.
Prof. Ocloo urged all universities to take an active role in the process, stressing that their involvement was crucial to ensuring the success of the reforms.
