The Institute for Education Studies (IFEST) has commended the Ministry of Education for its proposal to introduce a National Standards Assessment Test (NSAT) and implement it this year.

IFEST believes that tracking students’ performance in addition to monitoring the fidelity of the implementation of a standards-based curriculum is key to ensuring an improvement in learning outcomes.

NSAT, according to IFEST, has the potential to foster good teaching and learning, identify students for remedial interventions, and detect what the learning gaps are that need to be addressed.

“It will also provide information to aid resource allocation” and “targeted interventions” to schools and districts.

IFEST further noted that the sanctity and validity of NSAT should not be questionable, thus, it will be important for adequate planning and broader consultations to be carried out to ensure an almost-flawless implementation.

IFEST has, therefore, proposed that the agency in charge of curriculum and assessment is made to play a pivotal role in the implementation of the maiden NSAT.

“While we are not oblivious of the enormity of work involved in organising such a national test, which might make the West African Examination Council (WAEC) the default choice, it is our considerable opinion that NSAT should be spearheaded by NaCCA with WAEC as the collaborating agency.”

IFEST said it trusts that such an arrangement will strengthen the institutional capacity of NaCCA and position it to be able to oversee future national examinations.

“This proposition is in sync with the objective of the Ghana Accountability for Learning Outcomes Project, which is to build the capacity of participating agencies”.

“We believe the ministry should be guided by this commitment to implement GALOP to its fullest,” the statement added.