Engage experienced personnel to teach kindergarten pupils

December 23, 2009
Cape Coast , Dec. 23, GNA - A representative of UNICEF, Mr. Madeez Adamu Issah, has stressed the need for kindergarten teachers to have the experience and knowledge to enable them to handle the children well.

He expressed regret that most often volunteers who are engaged to teach at the kindergarten level were untrained and lacked basic knowledge.

"Kindergartens must be fully supported because it is very crucial to the full development of the child," he said.

Mr. Issah said this on Tuesday at a day's workshop organized by the Department of Children (DOC) in collaboration with the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) on Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) for key policy implementers in the Central Region.

The participants were drawn from the Ministries of Education (GES), Health, Manpower Development and Employment and the Department of Social welfare.

He said studies had shown that 68% of children who go through kindergarten do much better academically and socially and therefore parents should ensure that they send their children there.

The acting Regional Director of the DOC, Mr. David Ehuron Amoah, said that involving communities and families of children, as well as promoting income generating activities for parents, was a sure way of promoting successful ECCD in the country.

In terms of capacity building for the kindergarten teachers, Mr. Amoah said there was a four-year degree programme at the University of Education , Winneba (UEW) and urged teachers to avail themselves for further training to upgrade themselves.

He said the association of private ECCD practitioners had so far trained 84 child care attendants on ECCD/ HIV issues in the region.

GNA