In a recent interview on Citi FM, the Education Minister, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, has emphasized that obtaining a D7 grade in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) should not be seen as the end of a student’s educational journey.
The Education Minister suggested that students who have received a D7 grade should consider applying for diploma courses in the Universities.
“Unlike degree programs, diploma courses do accept students with a D7 grade. By pursuing a diploma course, students can further their education and, upon completion, have the opportunity to continue their studies towards a degree”
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Dr. Adutwum also revealed plans to expand admissions into degree programs for students who have scored a D7 grade.
However, he clarified that this would not be a straightforward process.
“To qualify for a degree program, students would first need to undertake a pre-university course in the core subject in which they obtained the D7 grade. For example, if a student received a D7 in Mathematics, they would need to complete Math 99, a below-university-level Mathematics class, to strengthen their foundation in the subject”
The Minister explained that this approach is intended to address concerns about students’ proficiency levels in core subjects.
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He noted that this system has already been implemented in various degree programs at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), where students took a similar post O-Level Mathematics course to supplement their knowledge before commencing their college-level studies.
“There were a number of degree programmes at Tech (KNUST) that were doing post O-Level Mathematics. In essence, these were not college level Mathematics, it was beyond O-Level Mathematics, almost like you were repeating A-Level on campus,” he explained.