Work towards improving teaching, learning at early grade — Right To Play

Stakeholders in education have been urged to work towards addressing fundamental gaps within the structure and framework around which teaching and learning is conducted at the early grade.

Mr Evans Atim, Northern Regional Area Project Manager of Right To Play, a child-centred international non-governmental organisation, who made the call, said "This will enable us build a strong and resilient foundation at the early grade."

He said, "For us at Right To Play, rethinking education means more than just addressing inequities in our education system but going back to address the fundamental gaps within the structure and framework around which teaching and learning in our classroom is conducted to enable us build a strong and resilient foundation at the early grade."

He emphasised that "There is need for very experienced, well-motivated and innovative teachers at this level contrary to the views that the kindergarten teacher is sent there on punishment."

This was his address at a stakeholders’ forum in Tamale on Early Childhood Development Education, held to commemorate this year's International Education Day.

The forum was organised by Children Believe, an international non-governmental organisation working to empower children in the country.

The International Education Day, commemorated on January 24, every year, has been instituted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation to highlight concerns in the education sector for governments to take action to address.

This year's commemoration was on the theme: "Changing Course: Transforming Education".

Mr Atim said to improve teaching and learning in the classroom, "Right To Play in collaboration with Sabre Education and Innovations for Poverty Action supported Ghana Education Service (GES) in developing the new National Early Childhood Education Curriculum as well as trained national trainers to support cascading the training to reach all kindergarten teachers across the country.

He said "Inadequate school infrastructure is one of the challenges that hinders the effective delivery of quality education. Though, the provision of infrastructure is not our main focus, we have supported in the construction and renovation of infrastructure in some selected schools in Savelugu Municipality and Tolon and Kumbungu Districts for both our Partner in Play and the GREAT Projects."

He added "We continue to engage and work closely with parents and caregivers, school management committees, parent associations, community leadership, GES, the local government, and even children themselves in identifying and mitigating community-specific barriers to education in our implementing communities."

Mr Atim said to ensure a well-motivated, improvising, and capacity-enhanced teacher for effective delivery, "Right To Play has therefore, adopted specific need-based training, supportive joint in-class monitoring with GES, coaching, and mentoring in building the capacities of teachers to effectively facilitate learning among children."

He said, "We could still be miles away from reaching the goal of every child having access to quality education and being safe but we could be so close to the goal if we consider improving on sharing lessons and experiences, pooling of ideas, and coordination of our efforts among us the stakeholders in education."