Breaking Through Reading Barriers – The Case Of World Education Ghana

“ We teachers do not need only money to be effective- give us the right training, materials, visit and assist us and don’t insult, shout, or condemn us, prove to us that this thing can work and the teacher will make it happen, World Education, I love you!” Ayishetu, Adawso R.C. KG 2 Teacher/ Trained Literacy Coach.

Context
In the last few years, Ghana has been witnessing a growing literacy crisis in its primary schools.

In response to this crisis, in 2007, the Government terminated a policy of English‐only education, introducing a nationwide policy of bilingual transitional, early‐exit approach (introducing mother tongue instruction in Kindergarten and primary grades 1‐3, with transition to English in primary grade 4).

In 2010 and 2013, The Ghana Education Service(GES) conducted an early grade reading assessment and the results showed that by the end of primary 2, most public school pupils cannot yet read in a Ghanaian language and in English. The findings revealed that 64% were unable to read a single word of a story and 33% could read some words but could not understand what they read. Only 1% was able to read fluently (National Education Assessment Unit).

The Mother Tongue Literacy Project
World Education, Inc. (WEI) began a 17-month pilot program in June 2014, to enhance mother tongue literacy acquisition in Akuapem Twi Language and to improve English as a second language instruction in grade one (P1) in ten schools in Akuapem North District in the Eastern Region of Ghana.

The pilot dubbed: Mother Tongue Literacy aimed at bridging the gap between teacher instruction and the National Literacy Acceleration Program (NALAP) curriculum material through the development of teacher training, supplementary teaching and learning materials, and supervisory/coaching support to foster improved student literacy outcomes in the early grades.

The pilot which worked closely with the Akuapem North District Education Directorate, school administrators and the Presbyterian College of Education to provide training and ongoing formative professional support to teachers, ended in August 2015.

Following its outstanding outcomes and a successful implementation of the Mother Tongue Literacy Pilot in the ten (10) schools, the District Education Directorate presented a request to World Education for an extension of the project in all the 125 Primary schools in the District.

The literacy extension aims at improving the reading abilities of all P1 pupils in the local language (Akuapem Twi) in the Akuapem North District in the Eastern Region of Ghana.

Key activities carried out during program period include a review of the existing literacy pilot materials, development of new supplementary materials, district level orientation, master trainers’ workshop, cluster based trainings, teacher assessment and monitoring visits.

Program Successes:
The program has been very successful and has received commendation from the Akuapem North Education Directorate, teachers, parents and other organisations implementing similar programmes.

“The children became confused and could not read nor decode letter names. Your intervention however has proved beyond all doubts that when literacy interventions include the orientation of stakeholders, training of teachers, provision of age appropriate TLMs, essential support systems such as school based coaching and systems that acknowledge teachers’ efforts, the teachers can deliver and the children can read with ease. Akuapem North Education Directorate is most grateful to your outfit-World Education Incorporated for introducing the Literacy Pilot Project to effectively improve students’ reading abilities in our schools”. Deputy Director, Supervision & Monitoring /Literacy Focal Person (Rose Akanyi, Akuapem North Education Directorate)

One of the unique features of the project is the school based coaching support offered to P1 teachers. The project trained an Akuapem speaking teacher in each school and equipped them with classroom observation tools to support teachers in the classroom. The teachers attested to the fact that this unique strategy helped them to prepare and review their lesson plans, teaching and learning materials, model lessons and class management through the constant constructive feedback they received.

Some measured outcomes included a reduction of zero scores and more equal distribution of results in oral reading fluency, reading comprehension, letter sound fluency, invented sound fluency and English listening comprehension.

Also pupils’ reading time increased in the classroom, but not in the home and a 10% decrease in pupils’ absenteeism was observed.

Final results reveal that the number of pupils reporting reading on their own in school increased dramatically for intervention school pupils (from 28% across all schools to nearly 70% of pupils in intervention schools at final).

Additionally, there were measured improvements in teachers’ knowledge/skills in early grade reading instruction, use of teaching and learning materials in reading instruction, perception of instructional abilities and class room practice throughout the project period.

Head teachers seem more committed and ready to find funds to support the effective teaching of the literacy lessons in their schools.

WEI has trained forty-Seven (47) master trainers made up classroom teachers, Headteachers and Education office staff, one hundred and twenty nine (129) coaches and one hundred and twenty nine (129) basic one teacher in all primary school schools in all the nine (9) circuits in the Akuapem North Municipality. So far, a total of 3,598 pupils have benefitted from the programme since its inception.

Materials Produced
Below are some materials developed to support teachers and pupils:

Teacher’s Literacy Handbook and Scripted Lessons

These are designed to give teachers the tools they need to develop a deeper understanding of early grade reading (why and how, as well as what) that would enable them to eventually develop their own early grade reading lesson plans. The Scripted lesson plans produced with the teachers equipped them with best practices in early literacy instruction.

Decodable books
This is a full set of 20 low‐cost decodable books for Akuapem Twi literacy instruction (locally printed black and copies) for each student.

Reading Coach’s Handbook
This is designed as a toolkit to give Reading Coaches the tools they would need to support and improve their teachers’ (and their own) learning and classroom practice. The Handbook includes classroom observation protocols and guidelines for providing supportive feedback.

Testimony…
My children found it difficult to identify sounds let alone blend them but now they do it with ease. They are also able to identify and recognize their names when written on a board or on a piece of paper this was never the case. Now as soon as I show the alphabet card or say a riddle about the letter sound I want to introduce, the children would quickly respond. I love the lesson plan because it is easy to follow”. P1 teacher, Obomase Methodist Primary

Lessons learnt:
Lucy Aklaku, the Senior Literacy Programme Co-ordinator had this to share – “To ensure the commitment and full participation of stakeholders in a project such as this, it needs to be demand driven with intensive stakeholder engagement at all levels. Secondly, motivation, the right knowledge and skills, regular support visits, portable TLMs as references, a conducive environment, words of encourage, constructive feedback, and role modeling are key to excellent performance of teachers”

Recommendations:
The following are some of the recommendations made following the evaluation of the programme:

• Design linguistically appropriate curricula for the remaining NALAP languages
• Offer pre‐ and in‐service training for teachers in early grade reading instructional techniques
• Provide in‐school coaching support to improve teaching practice and strengthen local language skills
• Increase grade‐level appropriate L1 reading materials and promote reading practice

Conclusion:
The Mother Tongue Literacy Project has helped to develop in children, a strong understanding of concrete and abstract ideas, learning vocabulary and concepts that are transferable to their second language.

Asked what she thought of the project, this is what Susan Adu-Aryee, Country Director, World Education Inc. Ghana had to say - “Indeed, reading and comprehension are skills we cannot do without as we all wade through life. Every nation must invest in building strong literacy skills from the early stages of formal education. The benefits of this project are overwhelming”.

World Education Inc.
Rooted in literacy and basic education, World Education Inc is a US‐based non‐profit organization that designs and implements innovative approaches that integrate technology to promote individual and collective change through education. At World Education, we ensure that more people around the world have access to learning—with a strong focus on gender equality.

Our participatory approaches facilitate joint problem‐solving processes and contribute to long‐term sustainability by fostering local ownership, building on existing programs and systems, and promoting collaboration and sharing of expertise among program stakeholders.

In Ghana, World Education strengthens the capacity of local organisations to more effectively plan, design, and implement innovative HIV and AIDS programme activities, supports the retention in school of vulnerable girls and boys through scholarships and mentoring. It provides functional literacy to adults and youth in cocoa growing areas, supports the implementation of a health systems strengthening programme, develops capacity building programmes with key populations, implements education programmes related to complimentary basic education, inclusive education and early grade reading and supports stakeholders to implement projects on clean cooking energy.

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