As students report to Junior Secondary School on Monday, those with special needs are braced to undertake a pre-vocational level curriculum to prepare them to eventually enter into a program of specific vocational training that will lead to a skill qualification.
The special needs students are expected to benefit from communication, numeracy, and information communication technology skills from the curriculum.
Learners with severe autism, deaf, blindness, and intellectual and multiple disabilities are the beneficiaries.
“A Pre-vocational level curriculum is provided for learners who are unable to undertake the regular or adapted curricula,” new JSS guidelines released January 2023 read.
The guidelines indicate that the age of the learners will not affect them in the learning process.
“Learners who are not able to follow the regular curriculum SHALL follow the Stage-based Pathway and curriculum which is pegged on achievement of identified milestones rather than the age of the learner.”
The learners will have 40 lessons a week, eight daily lessons starting from 8 am to 3:30 pm. Monday to Friday.
Time allocation will depend on the completion and mastery of specific tasks.
The learning areas include pre-vocational skills, Physical and Health Skills, Daily Living Skills, Communication, and Social Skills, Environmental Activities, Hygiene, Nutrition, and Safety.
The learners will also be taught Mathematical Activities, Music and Movement, and Social Studies.
All learning areas are compulsory for every learner.
“For Religious Education, learners select the learning area based on their faith.”
